京畿道
Gyeonggi
京 (capital) + 畿 (royal domain) + 道 (province) — "the province surrounding the capital"
👥 약 1,360만 명 (한국 인구의 26%)
📜 Name Through History
관내도(關內道) — 고려 초
양광도(楊廣道)
경기좌도·우도 — 조선
📖 Origin of the Hanja
Korea's most populous province — 13.6 million people, 26% of the nation. The hanja "京畿" originally meant "the capital (京) and the royal domain (畿) extending 500 li around it" in Chinese tradition. Goryeo King Seongjong (995) called the 12 districts around the capital "Gwanaedo", and Hyeonjong (1018) renamed them "Gyeonggi" — one of Korea's oldest surviving administrative names. Today it surrounds Seoul with 31 cities, including 4 with over 1 million residents (Suwon, Seongnam, Goyang, Yongin).
🌟 What Gyeonggi is famous for
• 수원 화성 (UNESCO)
• 남한산성 (UNESCO)
• 판교 IT 단지
• DMZ 평화기행
• 용인 에버랜드
""京畿" is not the center itself but what surrounds it — the weight of holding the center in place."
