Daegu

Prehistory and early history Archaeological investigations in the Greater Daegu area have revealed a large number of settlements and burials of the prehistoric Mumun pottery period (around 1500–300 BC). In fact, some of the earliest evidence of Mumun settlement in Gyeongsangdo have been excavated from Siji-dong and Seobyeon-dong. Dongcheon-dong is one of the substantial Mumun agricultural villages that have been excavated. The Dongcheon-dong site dates back to the Middle Mumun (around 850–550 BC) and contains the remains of many prehistoric pit-houses and agricultural fields. Megalithic burials (dolmens) have also been found in large numbers in Daegu. Ancient historical texts indicate that during the Proto–Three Kingdoms (Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan) period, Daegu was the site of a chiefdom or walled-town polity known from that time, according to historical records, as Dalgubeol. It was absorbed into the kingdom of Silla no later than the fifth century. The vestiges of the wall can be seen, and relics have been excavated in the current Dalseong Park. Silla Silla succeeded in unifying the Korean peninsula by defeating the other kingdoms of Baekje and Goguryeo in the late seventh century, partly due to assistance from China's Tang dynasty. Shortly thereafter, in 689, Silla's King Sinmun considered moving the capital from Gyeongju to Daegu, but was unable to do so. This initiative is known only through a single line in the Samguk sagi, a most valued historical record of ancient Korea by Koryeo dynasty historian Kim Pusik, but it is presumed to indicate both an attempt by the Silla king to reinforce royal authority and the entrenched resistance of the Gyeongju political elites that was the likely cause of the move's failure. The city was given its current name in 757. In the late 1990s, archaeologists excavated a large-scale fortified Silla site in Dongcheon-dong, Buk-gu. The site at Locality 2 consists of the remains of 39 raised-floor buildings enclosed by a formidable ditch-and-palisade system. The excavators hypothesize that the fortified site was a permanent military encampment or barracks. Archaeologists also uncovered a large Silla village dating to the sixth to seventh centuries AD at Siji-dong. However, this edition was destroyed when the temple was sacked in 1254, during the Mongol invasions of Korea. Joseon Daegu served as an important transportation center during the Joseon dynasty, being located in the middle of the Great Yeongnam Road which ran between Seoul and Busan, at the junction of this arterial road and the roads to Gyeongju and Jinju. In 1601, Daegu became the administrative capital of the Gyeongsang Province, which is currently Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, North Gyeongsang Province, and South Gyeongsang Province. At about that time, the city began to grow into a major city. The status continued for nearly 300 years, and the city has been transformed as the capital of Gyeongsangbuk-do since Gyeongsang-do was divided into two provinces, Gyeongsangbuk-do (northern Gyeongsang-province) and Gyeongsangnam-do (southern one) in 1896. Daegu's first regular markets were established during the late Joseon period. The most famous of these is the Yangnyeongsi herbal medicine market. This became a center of herbal trade in Joseon, and even attracted buyers from neighboring countries. Traders from Japan, who were not permitted to leave the Nakdong River valley, hired messengers to visit the market on their behalf. Seomun Market, which stood at the city's west gate at that time, was one of the top-three markets in the Joseon period. Korean Empire and colonial rule Japanese imperialism forcibly opened up Korea's markets beginning in the late 19th century. In 1895, Daegu became the site of one of the country's first modern post offices as a part of the Kabo reforms introduced in the aftermath of the First Sino-Japanese war. Beginning in the late 1890s, increasing numbers of foreign merchants and workers started to visit Daegu, which emerged as a modern transportation center of the newly constructed Gyeongbu Line main railroad connecting Seoul and Busan. In 1905, the old fortress wall was destroyed. As a tribute to the wall, streets that now run where the wall once stood have been named Bukseongno, Namseongno, Dongseongno and Seoseongno, which translates as "north fortress street", "south fortress street", "east fortress street" and "west fortress street" respectively. Independence movements against imperial aggression flourished in Daegu, beginning as early as 1898, when a branch of the Independence Club was established in the town. As the demise of the Korean Empire approached in 1907, local citizens led by Seo Sang-don organized the National Debt Repayment Movement. The movement spread nationwide, collecting many individual donations toward repaying the national debt. Rebellions continued after the 1910 annexation to Japan, notably during the March First Movement of 1919. At that time, four major demonstrations took place in Daegu, involving an estimated 23,000 citizens. After 1945 In 1946, the Daegu October Incident took place, one of the most serious social disorders since the foundation of the Republic of Korea. On October 1, Korean national police killed three student demonstrators and injured many others. It was also the site of major demonstrations on February 28, 1960, prior to the presidential election of that year. Daegu and all of North Gyeongsang province had heavy guerrilla activities in the late 1940s, as thousands of refugees shied away from the fighting in Jeolla province and sought shelters in Daegu. In November 1948, a unit in Daegu joined the mutiny which had begun in Yeosu the previous month. As in many other areas during the Korean War, political killings of dissenters were widespread. During the Korean War, heavy fighting occurred nearby along the Nakdong River. Daegu sat inside the Pusan Perimeter, however, so it remained in South Korean hands throughout the war. The fighting that prevented North Korean troops from crossing the Nakdong River has become known as the Battle of Taegu. In the second half of the 20th century, the city underwent explosive growth, and the population has increased more than tenfold since the end of the Korean War. The city was politically favored during the 18-year-long rule of Park Chung Hee, when it and the surrounding area served as his political base. Daegu champions conservative political ideas and movements today and is a political base for the People Power Party. In the 1980s, Daegu separated from Gyeongsangbuk-do and became a separately administered provincial-level directly governed city (Jikhalsi), and was redesignated as a metropolitan city (Gwangyeoksi) in 1995. Today, Daegu is the third-largest metropolitan area in Korea with respect to both population and commerce. Since 1990, Daegu has suffered two of South Korea's worst mass casualty disasters: the 1995 Daegu gas explosions, which killed 101 people, and the 2003 Daegu subway fire, which killed 192 people. In February 2020, Daegu was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. In July 2023, the Gunwi County of North Gyeongsang Province was integrated into Daegu. Daegu was the host city of the 22nd World Energy Congress, the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the 2003 Summer Universiade. It also hosted four matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. ==Politics==