Located in the southwestern part of Gyeonggi-do province in the Republic of Korea (ROK), Pyeongtaek is on the west coast of the country and is located 90 kilometers south of the capital city Seoul.
Covering an area of 458 square kilometers, with a coastline of 24.5 km, Pyeongtaek has a population of 430,000 and 22 administrative districts. Among the five largest port cities in ROK, it is the closest one to China.
The main regional specialties of the city are Pyeongtaek pears, Pyeongtaek rice, and flowers. The city's bird, flower, and tree are the white heron, pear blossom, and pine tree respectively.
With trade and logistics as its pillar industries, Pyeongtaek is one of the fastest-growing cities in ROK.
The city has nine industrial parks and is divided into four industrial zones for its main industries of chemicals, machinery, food processing, and electronics.
With Pyeongtaek Port as its center, the city is preparing to build a high-speed railway network, which is expected to significantly reduce the travel time between Seoul and Pyeongtaek.
Pyeongtaek Port is one of the five largest ports in ROK and its throughput growth rate ranks first in the country. Its import and export volume of automobiles was also the top among ports in ROK in 2010.
The port is the closest one in ROK to China and is the base port of the Yellow Sea region for East Asian trade. Every October, Pyeongtaek Port holds an international marathon and a cultural festival at the same time.
Due to its unique geographic advantages, Pyeongtaek has seen rapid economic development, which is mainly driven by shipping trade, as well as scientific and technological agriculture.
The city is home to many well-known companies, such as LG Electronics, Lotte, and SsangYong Motors. In 2010, Samsung Electronics and the Pyeongtaek government signed an investment memorandum of understanding to establish a 3.95-million-square-meter production plant, which injected new vitality into its development.
Pyeongtaek established international friendly exchange ties with Xiamen in East China's Fujian province on Aug 27, 2002.
