Sangju

Sangju lies in the inland country of southeastern Korea. Its importance as an administrative centre reaches back to Silla, when it governed one of the kingdom's provinces and controlled a route connecting the Han River valley with the Gyeongju area. The name Gyeongsang, applied to the province in 1314, combined the names of Gyeongju and Sangju.

Under the Joseon dynasty Sangju housed the provincial governor's headquarters and stood on the important Yeongnam road. During the Japanese invasion in 1592, Korean forces under Yi Il were defeated at Bukcheon and Sangju fortress surrendered. The provincial headquarters was moved during the war; schools and academies remained important institutions of local Confucian education.