Iksan

Iksan (Korean: 익산; Korean pronunciation: [ik̚.s͈an]) is a city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (Korean: 이리시; Hanja: 裡里市), but merged with Iksan County (Iksan-gun) in 1995. The railway junction is located at the point where Jeolla and Janghangs meet the Honam Line and the Honam HSR and is served by frequent train service to/from Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, Mokpo, Jeonju, Suncheon, and Yeosu. Jeonbuk National University Iksan campus (before, it was Iksan National College), the Won Buddhism Graduate School, Wonkwang Health Science College, and Wonkwang University are all located in Iksan. This city is called "The City of Jewelry". The Iksan Jewelry Museum opened in May 2002 next to a Dinosaur museum. In late November 2006, Korean authorities quarantined a farm in Iksan and began culling poultry and livestock within a 3-kilometer radius to contain an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus. Local tradition includes the story of Seodong and Seonhwa, which was broadcast from 2005 to 2006 as "Sedongyo" and is also dramatized in the 'Paradise in Autumn Festival.' Festivals with various themes are held in Iksan, all reflecting local history and culture. These include: 10,000,000 Chrysanthemum Festival (held in October/November) Iksan Jewelry Expo Seodong Festival Stone Culture Festival Anthem: Song of Citizens of Iksan Iksan's population is 269,429 as of January 2024.