Jinju City is a mid-sized city with an area of 712.96㎢ and a population of 360,000. It belongs to Gyeongsangnam-do, a province in the southeast of South Korea. The western part of Gyeongsangnam-do, where Jinju is located with Sancheong and Hamyang, is an economically disadvantaged area due to slow industrialization compared to the eastern part of Gyeongsangnam-do, where Changwon and Gimhae are located. Even in the midst of industrial downturn, the western part of Gyeongsangnam-do, including Jinju, has successfully preserved the academic and cultural traditions of south-eastern part of Korean peninsula and its own identity.

The city was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the ImjinWarin1592. More recently, as a result of being the battlefield of the Korean War in the 1950s, the historical and scape of Jinju was seriously damaged except for the Jinju Fortress. However, the city has well-preserved cultural assets in the field of craft sand folk arts and a beautiful nature scenery.

Jinju is the center of education in Gyeongnam region. Public schools were established 1,000 years ago and modern primary education began in 1895, and the city has about 100,000 student population and six universities.

Human and civil rights are central to Jinju’s history. Having experienced historical events such as the Siege of Jinju (1592-1593) and the Jinju Peasant Revolt (1862), and having given birth to the youth and social equality movements of the 1920s, its people have long known the value of peace and human rights.

In recent years, an innovative city has been built in Jinju, and the transfer of public institutions such as LH Korea Land and Housing Corporation has brought a new economic vitality. In addition, a plan to build a national aerospace industrial complex in Sacheon and Jinju has been established. However, Jinju believes that the industrialization of the city is not enough to be a sustainable city, and that Jinju developing as an industrial city should not undermine the original identity of Jinju as a cultural city.

The mayor of four year-term is elected directly by citizens. It takes three and half hours from Jinju to Seoul by train and bus. Jinju has Sacheon airport which is connected to the international airlines.