Buan-gun Office
Opening Ceremony of Buan-gun Office HallThis shows the opening ceremony of Buan-gun Office on December 3, 2010.
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Location91, Dangsan-ro Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryRegional Overview
- Korean부안군청
- Chinese扶安郡廳
- FieldPolitics, Economy and Society / Politics & Administration
- Contents TypeOrganization Group / Organization Group (General)
- Current Location91, Dangsan-ro Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- Buan County’s administrative agency, located in Dongjung-ri, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do is located at latitude 35˚ 40’ N and longitude 126˚ 40’ E. It is in the west of Jeollabuk-do. Lying to its northeast is Gimje-si, to its southeast is Jeongeup-si, and to its south is Gochang-gun. Its west side borders the sea. It is bordered by Gunsan-si to the north across the bay. Its coastline used to measure 99㎞ from the estuary of Dongjingang River to Upo-ri, Julpo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. With the construction of Saemangeum Seawall, however, the coastline was reduced to 66㎞. The area where Buan-gun is located is a peninsula protruding to the West Sea. Overall, its eastern part is lower than the west part. Its southwestern part is blocked by layers of Byeonsan Mountain. Its northeastern part is a wide, fertile plain. It snows much in winter in Buan-gun due to the overall topography and influence of northwesterly seasonal wind.
- Purpose of Foundation
- The Buan-Gun Office was established to carry out business related to the administration and development of the area and handle what locals wish to do and as well as their welfare promotion.
- Development
- Buan-gun was a strategic point from a political/military perspective as a place bordering the sea during the Baekje Period. There is a site where locals used to hold a sacrificial rite for water deities in Jukmak-dong, Buan. Juryuseong Castle in Buan was the starting point for the movement for Baekje’s rehabilitation. Buan used to be composed of Gaehwa and Heunryangmae, and both belonged to Jungbangsosaseong Fortress. In 757 (16th year of King Gyeongdeok’s reign) during the Unified Silla Period, Gaehwa-hyeon was renamed Buryeong-hyeon or Gyebal, and Heunryangmae was renamed Huian-hyeon. Buryeong-hyeon and Huian-hyeon belonged to Gobu. During the Goryeo Period, Huian-hyeon was renamed Boan-hyeon, but the name Buryeong-hyeon remained unchanged. People used to call Huian-hyeon and Buryeong-hyeon Nangju and Bupung, respectively.
During the period 1414 (14th year King Taejong’s reign) – 1416 (16th year King Taejong’s reign), Buryeong-hyeon and Boan-hyeon went through the merger/re-separation process several times amid the reshuffling of local administrative units. The name Buan-hyeon was determined by combining the two words – “bu” of Buryeong and “an” of Boan in 1416. In 1417, Heungdeokjin (a military position) came to be incorporated into Buan and renamed Buanjin. The local commander came to serve as the local administrator. In 1423 (5th year of King Sejong’s reign), the local administrator’s position was named Cheomjeoljesa and then Hyeongam. In 1895 (32nd year of King Gojong’s reign), Buan-hyeon was renamed Buan-gun through the reshuffling of local administrative units. The following year in 1896(33rd year of King Gojong’s reign), Jeolla-do Province was divided into Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla) and Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla), and Buan-gun came to belong to Jeollabuk-do.
Through the reshuffling of local administrative units in 1914 during the colonial period, Wido Island and Biando Island in Buan came to be incorporated by Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do and Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do, respectively. Instead, Baeksan-myeon, Geoma-myeon, and Deokrim-myeon in Gobu-gun came to be incorporated by Buan-gun. Thus, Buan-gun came to have ten myeon. In 1943, Buryeong-myeon, Buan-gun was upgraded to Buan-eup; thus, Buan-gun came to be composed of one eup and nine myeon. Through the reshuffling of local administrative units in 1963, Wido-myeon, Yeonggwang-gun came to be incorporated by Buan-gun. With it, Buan-gun came to be composed of one eup and ten myeon. Upon completion of the reclamation work on Gyehwado Island in 1978, the land area of Buan-gun came to be increased by 3,968 ㏊. In 1983, Jinseo Branch Office of Sannae-myeon and Gyehwa Branch Office of Haengan-myeon in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do came to be upgraded to Jinseo-myeon and Gyehwa-myeon. With it, Buan-gun came to have one eup and 12 myeon.
With the establishment of the government of the Republic of Korea in 1948, the central government appointed Lee Jinh-eung as the first mayor of Buan. The central government appointed the mayor until the 37th mayor, Gyeong Sam-su. With the adoption of the local autonomy system in 1995, the following have served as a mayor of Buan-gun: Gang Su-won (the first mayor elected by popular vote), Choi Gyu-hwan (the second mayor elected by popular vote), Kim Jong-gyu (the third mayor elected by popular vote), Lee Byeong-hak (the fourth mayor elected by popular vote), Kim Ho-su (the fourth and fifth mayor elected by popular vote), Kim Jong-gyu (the sixth mayor elected by popular vote), and Gwon Ik-hyeon (the seventh mayor elected by popular vote).
In 1969, a new building for Buan-Gun Office was built on the site of the olden-day local administrative office during Joseon period. In 1998, a plan for constructing a new building was set up but was shelved due to the foreign exchange crisis that hit the country. In December 3, 2010, during the term of office Kim Hosu (the fifth mayor elected by popular vote) as Gun Head, a new building for the Buan-Gun Office and the Buan-Gun Council was completed after three years of work. For the work, a total of 33.2 billion won (local budget KRW 16.6 billion + KRW 16.6 billion in bonds issued) was spent. The new five-story building (with B1/B2) (19,784 ㎡ total floor space) was built on a land measuring 14,472㎡. A grove of 31 pine trees donated by 8 local family clans was formed in Saebit Plaza in front of the building. It was named Solbaramsup (A Forest Filled with Pine Winds) and opened to the public. The location used to be the site of Gaeksa (a building where a wooden plaque symbolizing the King was kept for local government administrators to pay respects and where foreign envoys used to stay) named Bupunggwan. A signboard containing the name is still left. Bupung was an old nickname of Buan.
- Major Projects and Tasks (Activities)
- We at the Buan-Gun Office try to carry out activities under the slogan of Locals of Buan, People Filled with Energy, Let’s March Forward Worldwide! We strive to provide local administration ready to serve locals, trusted by locals, and participated in by locals. We try to carry out activities designed to invigorate the local economy, enhance local households’ income, attract visitors, provide school education full of hope, and welfare that can make all people happy.
Under the stewardship of the current [the seventh mayor elected by popular vote] Gun Head Gwon Ik-hyeon, we at the Buan-Gun Office focus our activities on the following: work-oriented organization, upright administrative service, formation of towns leading others in future energy, preparations made to make the 2023 World Scout Jamboree a success, towns where people engage each other, people-centered clean environment, a rural area where everyone loves to live, formation of world-class resort town, etc. We provide ordinary administrative services and handle locals’ petitions as do all other gun offices do. They include budget compilation/execution, matters related to people’s welfare, environment, hygiene, agriculture, fishery, forestry, industrial economy, promotion of culture/tourism, safety from disasters, civil defense, preservation of historic/cultural heritage objects, local development, transportation, matters concerning the enactment of the relevant rules based on municipal ordinances, etc.
We engage in the work designed to make the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum a success, keeping in mind that it is the largest international event for youths where 50,000-plus youths and their leaders gather together to engage in cultural exchanges and build friendship beyond difference in races, religions, ideologies, and culture.
After the launch of the autonomous local government system, we also strive to provide administrative services for the people, inviting locals to take part in the administration services, in addition to making effort in areas like culture/tourism, preservation of environment, and promotion of welfare for the people.
- Current Status
- 1. As of 2020, the Buan-Gun Office is composed of the following: Gun Head, Vice Head, two bureaus (Administration/Welfare Bureau and Industrial Construction Bureau), three officers (in charge of planning/audit, autonomous administration, and future strategies), 13 divisions [i.e., Saemangeum Jamboree Division, Culture/Tourism Division, Education/Youths Division, Social Welfare Division, Finance Division, Civil Petitions Division, Agricultural Policy Division, Livestock Distribution Division, Marine Fishery Division, Environment Division, Urban Park Division, Construction/Transportation Division, and Safety Division], two directly affiliated institutions [i.e., Public Health Office and Agricultural Technology and Extension Center], two project offices [i.e. Water/Wastewater Office and Cultural/Sports Facility Office], and Council Secretariat. The number of those engaging in administrative services comes to 1,090 in all (749 public officials, 284 engaging in technical service, and 57 security guards.
As of the end of 2020, the number of local population comes to 52,140 [25,914 men and 26,226 women] in 27,819 households. The number of those aged 65 or more comes to 17,371 [7,118 men and 10,253 women], which accounts for 33.4% of the entire population, i.e., a super-aged society. The land size of Buan-gun comes to 493.35 ㎢. Buan-gun is composed of one eup and twelve myeon. Geographically, Buan-gun is located on the Byeonsan Peninsula in the southwest of Jeollabuk-do, bordered by Jeongeup-si to the east, Gimje-si across the estuary of Dongjingang River to the north, Gochang-gun across Gomsoman Bay to the south, and West Sea to the west. Wido-myeon composed of islands Wido, Sikdo, Jeonggeumdo, Georyundo, Sangwangdeungdo, Hawangdeungdo, etc. on the West Sea is part of Buan-gun.
The five-story (with B1 and B2) Buan-Gun Office building is located at 91 Dangsan-ro, Buan-eup, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. Basements include a parking lot and the disaster prevention center. The first floor houses the Civil Petitions Division, NH Nonghyup Bank, lounge for women, lactation room, document storage room, and night-duty room. The second floor includes Finance Division, auditorium, and cafeteria. The following are located on the third floor: Gun Head’s Office, Vice Gun Head’s Office, offices for the officers in charge of planning/audit, autonomous administration, and future strategies, Culture/Tourism Division, Saemangeum Jamboree Division, mid/small-sized conference rooms, and videoconference room. The fourth floor houses the offices for bureau chief, Social Welfare Division, Agricultural Policy Division, Urban Park Division, Livestock Distribution Division, room for public hearing/auditing, Information/Communications Room, and Seminar Room. The fifth floor includes the Education/Youth Division, Marine Fishery Division, Construction/Transportation Division, Environment Division, Safety Division, Disaster Situation Room, large-sized conference room, room for tax-related petitions, and Office of the National Unification Advisory Council (NUAC) Buan-Gun Branch.
- Historical Significance
- Since the adoption of the local autonomy system in 1995, we at the Buan-Gun Office strive to provide administrative service with a focus on prevention of disasters, rural development, fostering a pleasant living environment, social welfare, health/medical service, culture/tourism, people-centered administrative service, formation of strategies for local development amidst decrease in population and rapid aging of society.