View source for Geojedo

{{Short description|Island in Geoje, South Korea}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Geojedo
| image_name       = Geoje Coast.JPG
| image_caption    = Off the coast of the island, with shipyards and ships in view (2011)
| image_size       = 
| image_map = {{Infobox mapframe|zoom=9}}
| map_caption = 
| native_name      = 거제도
| native_name_link = Korean language
| nickname         = 
| location         = [[Korea Strait]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|34|51|29|N|128|37|06|E|display=inline}}
| archipelago      = 
| total_islands    = 
| major_islands    = 
| area_km2         = 383.44
| length_km        = 
| width_km         = 
| highest_mount    = Gara
| elevation_m      = 580
| country          = Republic of Korea
| country_admin_divisions_title     = Province
| country_admin_divisions           = [[Gyeongsangnam-do]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1   = 
| country_admin_divisions_1         =  
| country_admin_divisions_title_2   = 
| country_admin_divisions_2         = 
| country1                         = Democratic People's Republic of Korea (claimed)
| country1_admin_divisions_title   = Province
| country1_admin_divisions         = [[Provinces of North Korea#Claimed provinces|South Kyōsang Province]]
| country1_admin_divisions_title_1 = 
| country1_admin_divisions_1       = 
| country_largest_city              = [[Geoje]]
| country_largest_city_population   = 242,077
| population       = 
| population_as_of = 
| density_km2      = 
| ethnic_groups    = [[Korean people|Korean]]
| additional_info  =
| module = {{Infobox Korean name/auto
|hangul = ^거제도
|hanja  = 巨濟島
|child  = yes
}}
}}

'''Geojedo''' ({{Korean|hangul=거제도}}), or '''Geoje Island''', is the principal island of [[Geoje]], [[South Gyeongsang Province]], South Korea. It is joined to land by two bridges from nearby [[Tongyeong]]. [[Gohyeon]] is the largest town on the island.

Geojedo covers an area of {{convert|383.44|km2}}, the second largest island in South Korea, after [[Jeju Island]]. The landscape features several peaks: [[Garasan|Gara]] ({{convert|580|m|disp=comma}}), Daegeum ({{convert|437.5|m|disp=comma}}) and [[Guksabong (North Gyeongsang)|Guksabong]] ({{convert|400|m|disp=comma}}). Geojedo is known for its rich deposits of granite. The southern belt of Geojedo, together with part of [[Namhaedo]] in [[Namhae County]], belongs to [[Hallyeo Maritime National Park]].<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=거제도 (巨濟島) |work=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0001872 |access-date=2024-06-10 |publisher=[[Academy of Korean Studies]] |language=ko}}</ref>

Geojedo features several natural harbors. Shipbuilding is the largest industry on the island.<ref name=":0"/> The second and third largest shipyards in South Korea are both located on the island, [[Daewoo]] Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in the city of [[Okpo-dong|Okpo]], and [[Samsung]] Heavy Industries (SHI) in the city of Gohyeon ([[Geoje]] City).

The [[Busan–Geoje Bridge]] was opened in December 2010 and provides a more direct connection to the city of [[Busan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-12-13 |title=Fixed link connects Busan, Geoje Island |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/06/113_77971.html |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=[[The Korea Times]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0"/>

The population of Geoje Island is 232,807 as of October 2024.

==Etymology==
The name comes {{etymology|ko|Geoje|Great Crossing Island}}; {{etymology||{{linktext|巨}} |great, large||{{linktext|濟|}} |crossing, ferry||{{linktext|島}} |island||}}.

==History==
During the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea|Three Kingdoms period]], Geojedo corresponded to one of the twelve states of [[Byeonhan confederacy|Byeonhan]] (변한) state called Dokno (독로국; 瀆盧國). During the [[Silla]] period (신라시대), [[Gyeongdeok of Silla|King Gyeongdeok]] in 757 A.D. first started to use the name Geoje County (거제군) to refer to the island.<ref name=":0"/>

In the Korea and [[Joseon|Joseon dynasty]] period, after the area called Giseong (기성현) was divided from Geoje 거제현 in 1914, the Geoje area was mistakenly called [[Tongyeong]] (통영군).<ref name=":0"/> During this period, the island was a strategic location between [[Japan]] and the [[Korean Peninsula]], and therefore suffered invasion by the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]].

When the Japanese invaded [[Tongyeong]] in 1592, the Navy Headquarters of Three Provinces was established in [[Geoje]] which served as a command for many naval battles in the area. Included in these were the battle of May 1592; [[Yi Sun-sin|Admiral Yi Sun-sin]] led Korean forces to a much celebrated naval victory at Okpo, Geojedo (옥포해전), as well as on the 28th of July, 1592 at Gyeonnaeryang (견내량해전) also known as the Hansan Great victory (한산대첩). In the year 1597 the first and only naval defeat to the Japanese in Korean history took place at Chilcheon, Geoje (칠천량해전).

During the [[Korean War]], [[United Nations|UN Forces]] established the [[Geoje POW Camp]] in 1951 for captured North Koreans.<ref>{{Citation |last=양 |first=영조 |title=거제도 포로 소요사건 (巨濟島 捕虜 騷擾事件) |work=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0001874 |access-date=2024-06-10 |publisher=[[Academy of Korean Studies]] |language=ko}}</ref> 31 prisoners died during conflicts there.<ref name="Hermes">{{cite book |last=Hermes |first=Walter |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/020/20-3/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921010209/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/020/20-3/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 21, 2012 |title=United States Army in the Korean War: Truce Tent and Fighting Front |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History |year=1992 |isbn=9781410224842}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|259–60}} ''[[Koje Unscreened]]'' (1953), written by journalists [[Alan Winnington]] and [[Wilfred Burchett]], focused on the poor conditions in the camp.<ref>{{Cite book |last=D. McFarland |first=Keith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i3CLAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Koje%20Unscreened%22&pg=PA303 |title=The Korean War: An Annotated Bibliography |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2009 |isbn=9781135223953 |pages=303–304 |language=en |format=ebook}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Edwards |first=Paul M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OFp8ipPu5g0C&dq=%22Koje%20Unscreened%22&pg=PA223 |title=The Korean War: An Annotated Bibliography |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1998 |isbn=9780313303173 |pages=223 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1953, Geoje became an independent county, and in the early 1970s the shipbuilding industry began producing ships, which led to population growth. In 1995, Geoje finally had a large enough population to be classified as a city (시).<ref name=":0"/>
[[File:Aerial View of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering]]'s facilities on Geoje (2017)]]
It is now the hub for a major driving force in Korea's economic development, the shipbuilding industry.<ref name=":0"/>

Geoje is the hometown of two [[President of South Korea|Presidents of South Korea]]: [[Kim Young-sam]] (1993–1998)<ref>{{Cite web |last=최 |first=진 |date=2008-10-31 |title=대통령의 아버지, 누구인가?…가난한 농사꾼에서 거제도 갑부까지 ⑤ |url=https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/3360921 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=중앙일보 |language=ko}}</ref> and [[Moon Jae-in]] (2017-2022).<ref>{{Cite web |last=김 |first=영동 |date=2017-05-09 |title=문재인 고향마을 “거제서 대통령 두명이나 될 것 같다” |url=https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/area/area_general/794056.html |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=[[The Hankyoreh]] |language=ko}}</ref> Also, there is Kim Young-sam's birthplace. <ref>{{Cite web |title=김영삼 전 대통령 생가 > 상세 {{!}} 관광지·명소 {{!}} 열린관광 모두의 여행 |url=https://access.visitkorea.or.kr/ms/detail.do?cotId=162b2349-c1ea-45bd-bfa3-1fbcfcd8412e |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=무장애 관광정보 - 열린관광 모두의 여행 |language=ko}}</ref>

It was the final port of call of the [[SS Meredith Victory|SS ''Meredith Victory'']] at Christmastide 1950, when that ship evacuated some fourteen thousand North Korean civilians from Hungnam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shipofmiracles.com|title=Home - Ship of Miracles Documentary by RJ McHatton|first=RJ McHatton of Inventive|last=Productions|website=www.shipofmiracles.com}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Islands of South Korea]]
*[[Geography of South Korea]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons Category inline|Geoje Island}}
*[http://gfra.net Geoje Foreigner's Residents Association – Foreigners' Club in Okpo]

{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|34|51|29|N|128|37|06|E|display=title|region:KR_type:isle_source:dewiki}}

[[Category:Islands of South Gyeongsang Province]]
[[Category:Geoje]]
[[Category:Prison islands]]