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mithridates
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 1767
Location: 청담동
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 Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 1:00 am Post subject: |
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No, curses aren't censored here but it's a habit. Anyhow, check out the article on Nonsan the wiki has so far. It's the Chosun Bimbo that's taken it from moderately big to pretty f'kin' big.
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Nonsan
[quote]Nonsan From Galbijim
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Overview
Nonsan  Hangul: 논산시 Hanja: 論山市 Revised romanization: Nonsan-si McCune-Reischauer: Nonsan-shi Statistics Area: 554.82 km² Population: 136,356
2003 registration [1] Pop. density: 246 people/km² Administrative divisions: 2 eup, 11 myeon, and 2 dong  Nonsan is a city in Chungcheongnam-do. It is located at 36°12´N 127°5´E.
The city consists of villages and some outlying towns that have grown together. It's character is a mix of a rural mentality and small city, with high-rise apartment complexes scattered throughout. While small by Korean standards, Nonsan has a number of the amenities found in any Korean city. There are a few old houses in the traditional style - most are in disrepair. The population in 2003 was 136,356. There is a mid-sized university Konyang University (KYU), but it's influence only stretches as far as the small "campus town" that has grown up across from it's main entrance.
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Nonsan Symbols
The Symbol is designed to represent three elements: "Enterprise", "Future-Orientation" and the "Development of Nonsan through sound administration". It incorporates the Hangul characters "ㄴ" and "ㅅ" - the first letters of Non and San into a diamond shape that is meant to imitate the local topography. The upper blue portion symbolises the many mountains that surround Nonsan. The bottom green portion imitates the plentiful rice fields while the curve in the center represents the progessive future and development of the city.
Zelcova
Mandarin Duck (Korean precious natural animal No.327)
Forsythia
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Transportation
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Getting there
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By air
There is no airport directly serving Nonsan.
The nearest commercial airport is Cheongju International Airport.
From Cheongju International Airport by car: --> Expressway 1 South -->Daejeon, --> Change to Expressway 251 South West (circumventing Daejeon) --> two alternatives Routes:
- (Shorter distance) Exit Expressway 251 South West onto Highway 1 at Gyeryong, head west and continue on to Nonsan.
- (Longer distance) Exit Expressway 251 South West onto Highway 1 at Yeonmu backtrack North on Highway 1 to Nonsan.
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By rail
Nonsan sits on The Honam Line connecting Seoul with Mokpo in the South West of the country. One must transfer in Daejeon to reach Busan in the South East by way of the Gyeongbu Line. Since 2004 Nonsan has been serviced by the KTX (Korea Train Express). Dramatically cutting the time to travel from Yongsan to Nonsan station.
Nonsan station is downtown. Taxis are available at the station all hours of the day.
(08:25~21:25, approx every 3 hours, travel time: 1 hour 30 min)
- From Seoul: Honam Line: Seoul - Nonsan Station
(06:05~23:50, every 50 minutes, travel time: 2 hours 30 minutes)
- Jeolla Line: Seoul - Nonsan Station
(07:35~22:23, every 1 hour 10 minutes, travel time: 2 hours 30 min)
Slower trains are also available.
KORAIL timetable and booking information
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By bus
There are three inter-city bus termianls in Nonsan
- The Regional terminal(시외버스터미날) primarily serving cities in
Chungcheongnam-do is located downtown on Gyebaek 2-ro (계백2로), 200 meters North East of "5 Points" crossroads. (To the left facing the railway underpass.)- The Express Bus terminal (광주고속터미날) is the same distance heading South West (To the right facing the railway underpass.);
- The third serves Konyang University from just inside the side gate. (This station doesn't operate on weekends.)
Buses depart regulary to major cities. Seoul can be reached in under three hours. The trip to Daejeon takes 45 minutes.
Express bus service to Seoul Gangnam Terminal - Yeonmu - Nonsan Weekdays: 6:30 A.M. ~ 7:50 P.M., every 40 min, travel time: 2 hours 40 minutes Weekends: 10:15 P.M. (Night buses are operated and the operation has increased to run every 30 minutes)
Express Bus Web Terminal and timetable information
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By car
 Expressway from Cheonan to Nonsan Honam Expressway: Seo (West) Daejeon Toll Gate (National Road No. 1) - Nonsan Highway 4 / 25 connects Nonsan to Daejeon.
Korean Highway Corporation
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Getting Around
Because Nonsan grew out of a number of villages that have grown together, there are a number of distinct commercial districts separated by residential areas and farmland. However, it is easy to walk around or bike through Nonsan, there are generally adequate sidewalks and clearly marked bike lanes throughout the city. It takes approximately 40 minutes to walk from The 5-Points Crossroads (오구리) in downtown to KYU (Konyang University).
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Neighborhoods
Each of the original towns or villages that formed Nonsan has at least something of a commerical center, in some cases more than one.
The Northern most part of Nonsan bordered by the Nonsan Stream (논산천).
The main Post Office is located on Nonsan-si jang 3-gil (논산시장3길).
The older part of Nonsan's downtown. Police and Fire Stations are located on the intersection of Jungang 1-ro and Haewol-ro (중앙1로 and 해월로) The traditional market, Nonsan Theatre (논산극장) and the Boutique shopping area are in this neighborhood. Nonsan Station is in Banwol-dong.
Encompassing the North East of Nonsan The General Social Welfare Centre is located in this neighborhood.
In the East of Nonsan the Gwanchoksa temple, Nonsan Stadium (논산 공설운동장) and Chungcheongnam-do Physical Education High School are all located in this Neighborhood.
One of the larger residential neighborhoods in Nonsan containing Jae-il, J Park, A-ju, Nol-mui, Dong-shin and Canary apartment complexes among others. Woori Home Mart and Hai Tai Mart are located in Nae-dong. Nonsan City Hall (시장) is located in Nae-dong The Cultural Center is located in the western part of this neighborhood.
The new part of Nonsan's downtown area, this neighborhood is undergoing an increase in development with 3 very large apartment complexes being built in the area behind the regional bus terminal(시외버스터미날). Baekje Hospital (백제병원) is located in this Neighborhood.
In Nonsan's West Kansan-dong incorporates Buyeong, Dongshin and Changsol Apartment complexes as well as Kansan Park.
Daerim Apartments and St. Pauls private Catholic Girl's School.
The most Westward of Nonsan's neighborhoods contains Bonghwa-san Park.
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Municipal transit
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Rail
There is no municipal rail service.
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Bus
There is regular city bus service seven days a week.
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Private transportation
Taxis are available 24 Hours, The city is not very large, and taxi passengers can get most places in Nonsan for under KRW5000 during the day while at night a slightly higher tariff is charged.
Because of it's relativly small size walking and biking are viable transport options in Nonsan. Most sidewalks and bike lanes are surfaced with a pebbly rubberized material and are clearly marked making for secure and comfortable going. Beware of the finely polished curb-stones and some steps that can be dangerously slippery when wet.
Hitch-hiking is uncommon in Korea.
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Staying There
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Temporary
There are a number of hotels and motels in the downtown area of Nonsan:
Address: 148-9, Jongyeon-ri, Gayagok-myeon, Nonsan-si Tel.: +82-41-742-7744 / FAX: +82-41-742-8853 Accommodations: 32 rooms
Address: 976, Whangwhajeong-ri, Yeonmu-eup, Nonsan-si Tel.: +82-41-742-5200 Accommodations: 49 rooms
Address: 66-1, Banwol-dong, Nonsan-si, Tel: Phone : +82-461-735-8971 / FAX : +82-461-33-1631 Accommodations: 53 rooms
A cheap alternative is to stay overnight in a jjimjillbang.
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Longer Term
To reside in Korea, a foreigner needs an appropriate visa. Please check with government authorities. The Daejeon Immigration Office holds jurisdiction over foreigners living in Nonsan
Daejeon Immigration Office Tel: +82 42 254 1391~3
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Being Understood
While there is a local Korean dialect, it is not dissimilar from standard Korean, which will be perfectly understood and is often spoken in Nonsan anyway.
Outside of the University and some professional offices, one comes across few people who can speak more than a few words in any language other than Korean. English is the most commonly understood, followed by Japanese and Chinese (and perhaps German).
Even at the university, many students and staff can only communicate in Korean.
There are a number of private English Academies in Nonsan and English is taught in state schools. It is not uncommon for Elementary, Middle and even more adventurous High School students to attempt some sort of communication in English with a visitor, dependent on the student's ability
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Local Attractions
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Specialty Products and Festivals
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Museums
Konyang University has a small broadcasting museum.- General Gyebaek's Battlefield
- The Cultural Center often hosts exhibitions.
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Temples
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Universties
There is a campus-town across from the main gate belonging to a different neighborhood. Here are copy shops/printers with fast service, two smallish grocery stores, a plethora of small inexpensive and a few upper-scale restaurants and fast-food places (brats, hamburger, kimbap, sandwiches). Ice-cream bars and the like are available as well. Except for a few things like a disco, recorded music stores, a movie theater, and appreciable clothing stores, pretty much anything a student usually is looking for is to be found in this small shopping area. The university has a Hana Bank, copying facilities, a book store, jewelry store, and a post office as well as a number of student cafeterias open to all customers.
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Other
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Character
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Social-Psychological
Nonsan is in mentality more of a large village than a small city. The day begins slowly, and the police usually seem to have little more to do than direct traffic at a few intersections (blowing their whistles contiuously from about 7:00 A.M. until about 8:30 A.M.) and tool around with their lights flashing. Peppers, rice, fruits, etc. are dried right on the sidewalks and in front of apartment stairwells. Children often giggle and call out a "How are you?" or some other memorized phrase when they happen upon a foreigner. Cars will occasionally stop in the middle of a fairly major street so that the drivers can say hello and talk about whatever. School-girls walk the streets even after ten at night, after finishing studying and eating out with friends - and there is no fear. The high incidence of pubs seems to increase the albeit low amount of rowdiness, which in an extreme case might result in the bashing in of a car window. The school children and university students are full of vim and vigor, while the older people seem dour and avoid eye contact except when trying to sell a foreigner something. A foreigner who overpays because of mistaking a price or coins or bills is almost certain to be corrected in a pleasant manner. Many stores stay open until ten at night, and it is even possible to find street-side stands selling almost until midnight. Twenty-four-hour convenience stores serve the relatively quiet but definitely present night-time people.
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Visual
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Overview
To the Western eye, Nonsan presents a queer mixture of clusters modern high-rise appartments soaring in some cases to over a score floors and garish-fronted small shops, gardens and even fields, and street-side stands. The streets are paved and clean and generally lined with paved or rubber-pebbled sidewalks and not rarely bike-lanes. Nonsan's main streets are mostly little more than silghtly inclined, though side streets can be as steep as five to maybe ten percent in rare cases. The city is surrounded by farms and ringed some-what more distantly with sylvan mountains. Trees and, in the spring and to a certain extent the summer and fall, are present on all but the most commercial stretches, so that the city looks green from street level and almost parklike from the hills or high apartment windows.
Graffiti is quite rare. The streets are regularly cleaned, though piles of trash or recyclable furniture and other property can stay around for some time. Banners are hung to congratulate, celebrate, and advertize, adding to the colorful appearance of the streets.
During the day, the vehicular traffic is constant, and the commercial streets - especially in the area around the traditional market have a constant flow of pedestrians. After nightfall, the pedestrain traffic starts to dwindle, so that by ten (around the time the larger stores close) it is thin except around schools and areas of many places to eat. By midnight, only the occasional pedestrian is seen on the sidewalks, and the autos are only moderately numerous on the major streets. But all through the night, there is at least some vehicular traffic.
The people going to and fro are of all ages but almost exclusively Korean. Clothing tends toward casual and work clothes. Some are underway because of work, but many seem to be strolling about. Children use bikes and buses, are driven by patterns, or walk, and are quite visible, wearing their school uniforms during the school year if they are old enough.
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Architecture
From a distance, the city appears as do many other Korea cities; clusters of tall, modern, light-colored apartment buildings. Closer up, the city reveals a more mixed architecture.
There is no truly outstanding building in Nonsan. Still, there are some structures that catch the eye.
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Public Art
As soon as the traveller departs the train station, he is met by three sculptures, naturalistic and abstract. There is an elephantine metal abstract sculpture in front of the stadium and some smaller works around back. Some abstract sculptures grace the KYU campus as well. Many of the burial areas in the hills of Nonsan have commercially made stone markers of various designs. The cultural center has a small stone sculpture of some interest by the bike racks. If one considers standing stones with writing on them, then public art can be found at many public buildings and some private ones. There are also many 장승 (jangseung: carved wooden figures) and simple small landscape paintings along some of the trails in the hills. Five-Points is graced by a number of murals along the underpass walls.
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Nonsan through the Seasons
- Spring does not break upon the town suddenly, but comes in fits and starts. Sometimes it is born on a west wind, bearing "yellow dust" (
Hwangsa) from across the sea from China, lightly coating everything indoors and out. But after some point, the colors of spring burst upon the town, with an exaltation of flowers bringing great joy to the still shivering Nonsanites.- Summer simmers the souls in sultry, sticky heat. The locals generally do not like summer, complaining of the heat and mugginess. Lethargy makes a go at many otherwise active individuals. Street-cleaners use large pincette-like trash pickers to keep the streets and sidewalks clean.
- Autumn slowly shoulders summer's heat out of the way toward the end of September. Although rains may fall, most days are characterized by clear skies, hot and then warm days with mild to chilly nights, until the cool days set in sometime in mid or late October. The cherry trees have long lost their leaves, lining some streets and roads like sullen soldiers, before the gingkos' leaves start turning to yellow and the persimmons shine like too early bright orange Christmas ornaments on too-old barren trees. The cosmos blossoms decorate many streetsides, while the streets themselves as well as the sidewalks are decked with rice grains drying on ribbons of plastic sheeting. Later, the rice will be packed into sacks waiting to be picked up and hauled away in flatbed trucks. For some time longer, the hills keep their green color, but the grass is decked with the yellow ginko leaves. Street cleaners have replaced their trash pickers with brooms, daily sweeping up the slowly accumulating leaves.
- Winter
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Shopping
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Bakeries
Three chains dominate Nonsan's bread scene: Crown, and two that style themselves as French bakeries, selling baguettes as well as white and mild brown breads and sweet baked goods. There are a few independent bakeries, including one not too far from the Nonsan girls' high school. In addition, Woori Home Mart has its own bakery section, with an emphasis on sweet baked goods (cakes, doughnuts, cookies).
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Children's / Toy Stores
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Department Stores
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Clothing Stores
Boutique-ville is what one could call the area abutting the traditional market in the direction of 5-Points. Here one finds a large number of small shops selling Korean and international brands (asics; Everlast, Puma, etc.) and knock-offs in mostly specialized, even one-brand, stores. Snuggled in among these shops along the winding pedestrian ways are various other small stores such as bakeries, miscellaneous stores, household goods stores, and pharmacies, as well as a good variety of Korean-style eateries.
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Grocery Stores
There are numerous small grocery stores as well as transient sellers of fruits, vegetables and sundries. There are also supermarkets:
Fruit can also be found at a large wholesaler "shed" down the hill from Woori-Mart (various sellers) and at a wholeseller store on the street running by the Nonsan girls' high school.
Rice and other grains as well as flour can be bought in bulk at a few specialty places in town. They can be identified by the products visible in their window spaces.
A certain amount of bargaining can be done with the transient sellers, and an extra item or two might be tossed in as "service" - especially if the transaction has been friendly.
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Traditional Markets
There is a large traditional market, with hundreds of stalls selling fresh and dried fish, local produce, shipped Korean foods, and sundries. The market is covered but not indoors. It is open seven days a week. On Thursdays, there is a smaller outdoor market across from Woori Home Mart.
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Convenience Stores
Among the many convenience stores are
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Electronics Stores
There are outlets for each of the "Big 3" electronics retailers in Korea namely:
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Home and Garden Stores
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Key-Makers
There are a number of key and lock shops in the city. One is on the main E-W drag, a bit east of 5-Points. Another one, inexpensive and with friendly staff, is kitty-corner from Konyang girls' high school.
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Shoe-Repair Shops
Cobblers and leather-workers
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Sports Stores
Sports stores sell clothing and equipment for traditional Korean sports as well as for fitness activities and many Western sports. There is one store on the main E-W street down-town, a bit west of 5-Points (오구리). There is another one near the Nonsan Girl's High school. One that sells exercize equipment along with other sports items is on the street perpendicular to the one running along the side of KYU: the last chance to turn before getting to the girls' high school.
There is also a fishing gear store not quite so near the same school.
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Bicycle Shops
There are more than four bike shops, all selling Korean-made bicycles. Only one of them (just south of 5-Points) has anything as large as a 27" bike. These shops also service bikes.
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Book Stores
Nonsan has both new and used book stores. Foreign literature and textbooks are not common but can be found.
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General Stores
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Entertainment
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Noraebang
There are some noraebangs (karaoke bars) in Nonsan. Some of them are along the street that runs by the side entrance of KYU. There is also one (Versace) at the major intersection near the stadium.
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Nonsan restaurants and bars
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PC bangs
There are a fair number of PC-game places, e.g., on the street running along the side entrance of KYU and in campus-town.
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Discos and Dance Halls
There are none.
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Live Theater and Dance Performance Centers
The university has a concert hall where guest concerts and dance performances can be seen without charge. Unfortunately, the performances only take place about once a month or even less frequently. KYU's Theatre Department and other groups on campus occasionally put on plays and other performances in Korean and in English in the smaller theatre in the Economics Building or in other auditoriums on campus.
The city's cultural center also has a stage in a relatively large auditorium.
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Movie Theaters
There is one movie theatre in the downtown area. It is a multi-screen facility which shows both current Korean movies and some Hollywood fare.
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Services
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Auto Service
There are Daewoo and Kia service centers. There is an auto parts store across from the school on the street that runs by KYU's side entrance and a service garage on the same street. At the northern end of town, along the main drag, can be found a plethora of tire and auto-parts and -service shops. There are gas stations along most of the major roads leading into town as well as ones in the city proper. At least one (near city hall) has a car-wash machine.
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Fitness and Sports Centers and Facilities
There are several fitness studios and centers for learning various martial arts (TKD, gumdo, hapkido, traditional Korean archery), a community center, and a large soccer stadium open for public use at no cost (with tennis, badminton, volleyball, track, basketball, indoor croquet, weight training, inline, skate-board, 족구 [kick tennis], traditional drumming,and table-tennis facilities). The soccer field itself is restricted to registered clubs. Konyang University and at least two other institutions have outdoor tennis courts and baseball fields. There are a number of soccer fields, clay running tracks, and tradtional Korean wrestling rings at various educational institutions. Commercial golf driving "ranges" (with net systems) are to be found in the city. There is one bowling facility. Fitness paths and exercise stations along sidewalks are to be found in a few spots in the city.
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Baths and Jjimjilbans
- General Society Welfare Center (459, Jisan-dong, Nonsan City; telephone: 82-41-730-1646)
- There is 불가마사우나, a very nice modern sauna center across the major street from the stadium. There are various hot-tubs and a steam sauna in the separate men's and women's areas, where one is nude. In the joint-use area, where one wears the provided sweatsuit-like outfits, there are four dry saunas and and "ice-pang" as well as massage chairs, sleeping areas, large-screen t.v.s, and food services. A family atmosphere abounds. One can stay as long as one wishes, even through the entire night. The cost for an adult is 5,000 won (4 for entry, 1 for sweatsuit). Towels, soap, lotion, etc. are provided free-of-extra-charge. Toothbrushes, razors, hand-scrubbers can be bought at reasonable prices. Body scrubs and massages are available.
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Cultural and Community Centers
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Facilities for Seniors, Infants, Youth, People with Special Needs, Foreigners
- Paid facilities: Beauty salon and barbershop, public bath, general education that is free of charge for senior citizens aged 60 and older.
- Location: 785, Jisan-dong - Telephone : 82-41-733-8502, 8503. Fax : 82-41-733-8505 - Hours to use: Weekdays 09:00~21:00 - Saturdays and Sundays 09:00~21:00
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Libraries
There is a branch library in the stadium.
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Educational Facilities
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Hair Styling
Available at the General Society Welfare Center and in private shops around town.
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Laundry, Tailoring and Dry Cleaning
Most neighborhoods have at least one laundry. Generally, the laundry can also provide tailor services.
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Last edited by mithridates on Sun May 28, 2006 1:01 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Galbijim
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 1088
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| Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 6:33 am Post subject: |
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| I was looking at that the other day. For some reason, the table of contents thingie is not kicking in. |
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stafford
Newb
Joined: 27 May 2006
Posts: 7
Location: Nonsan, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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| G. W. Jim wrote: |
I was looking at that the other day. For some reason, the table of contents thingie is not kicking in.
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The contents aren't showing up because I added the "__NOTOC__" tag to the top (i.e. NO Table Of Contents). I couldn't figure out how to get the truncated version to show. As Mithridates points out, it's a fairly long article thus the contents are huge too.
Stylewise I don't like a big box at the beginning.
The Chosun Bimbo
_________________
<!--sizeo:3--><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><div align="left"><!--coloro:#000000--><span style="color:#000000"><!--/coloro-->Less HIP and more HOORAY<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
<a href="http://www.stafford.net.nz/bimbo.html" target="_blank">The Chosun Bimbo</a></div><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--> |
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mithridates
Site Admin
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 1767
Location: 청담동
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| Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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| The Chosun Bimbo wrote: |
The contents aren't showing up because I added the "__NOTOC__" tag to the top (i.e. NO Table Of Contents). I couldn't figure out how to get the truncated version to show. As Mithridates points out, it's a fairly long article thus the contents are huge too.
Stylewise I don't like a big box at the beginning.
The Chosun Bimbo |
Be bold!
If you can make it a better page without the box, then by all means.
Oh, it's also possible to add sub-articles. Check out all the sub-articles here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush
Main article: Tourism in Nonsan
for example.
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animalextender
Experienced
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 69
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| Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 1:49 am Post subject: |
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I don't have anything useful to add. I just wanted to say that whenever I see the header "Holy sh*t that's a big article" the first thing that crosses my mind is that someone's been studying a language that has a fourteen-letter word for "the."
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