[New Social Geography Map] Gyeonggi-do, boasting metropolitan city-level population, the 'Number 2' city

Goyang-si and Yongin-si Surpass 1 Million Population as Large Cities
Competition for Gyeonggi-do No. 2 Continues After Suwon
Goyang Reaches 1 Million First, Yongin's Area Twice as Large

Editor's Note‘New Social Atlas’ is a series that approaches national statistics with the same curiosity as when looking at the Social Atlas, which provided both information and fun during school days. It examines South Korea's past and present through various statistics, including population and area.

The race for the top spot in population among metropolitan autonomous entities is, in some ways, a rather uneventful contest. It has long been since Gyeonggi-do overtook Seoul Special City, which had been running away with an overwhelming first place. Now, Gyeonggi-do and Seoul are not even on the same level of competition.

According to Statistics Korea, as of May this year, Gyeonggi-do's population reached 13,612,597. Seoul's population is 9,418,885. Seoul's population has fallen below 10 million and is gradually decreasing. On the other hand, Gyeonggi-do's population has increased compared to January of this year. The population gap between Gyeonggi-do and Seoul has surpassed 4 million.

Among the overwhelmingly populous Gyeonggi-do, the largest city is undoubtedly Suwon. Suwon City continues to hold the undisputed number one position in terms of population size. When looking at the population scale of Gyeonggi-do, a more interesting competition is the pride battle over the ‘number two’ spot.

On July 10th last year, when the heatwave continued, citizens were cooling off under the Mapo Bridge in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The competition over who will follow Suwon. Based on resident registration population, there are three cities in Gyeonggi-do with populations exceeding 1 million: Suwon, Goyang, and Yongin.

Hwaseong and Seongnam have also surpassed 900,000 but have not yet crossed the 1 million mark.

So, which city has a larger population between Goyang and Yongin? The two cities are engaged in a neck-and-neck competition to the extent that it is difficult to definitively say which is ahead. The population varies depending on whether it is based on resident registration population or the total number of people living in the area, including foreigners.

As of May this year, based on resident registration population, Goyang has 1,077,963 people, and Yongin has 1,075,317. The population difference between the two cities is less than 3,000.

The populations of these two cities are comparable to those of metropolitan cities. Ulsan Metropolitan City has 1,106,446 people, slightly more than Goyang and Yongin. There is also a possibility that Goyang and Yongin could surpass Ulsan Metropolitan City.

On the morning of April 27, the opening day of the 2023 Goyang International Flower Fair, citizens visiting the event venue at Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, are viewing the flowers planted in the outdoor garden. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Goyang is home to Ilsan, one of the most famous new towns. Many people live around the Ilsan New Town and near Hwajeong Station, Wondang Station, and Samsong Station along Subway Line 3. Goyang borders Seoul’s Gangseo-gu, Mapo-gu, Eunpyeong-gu, Jongno-gu, Seongbuk-gu, and Gangbuk-gu.

It borders from the western to the northeastern parts of Seoul. This is related to the wide area covered by Bukhansan National Park. Bukhansan lies between Goyang and Seoul.

Due to its geographical proximity to Seoul, Goyang has a favorable environment for population inflow. In fact, after Suwon, Goyang is the city in Gyeonggi-do that first reached the 1 million population milestone. According to Statistics Korea’s resident registration population, Goyang had about 250,000 people in 1992 and surpassed 1 million in 2014. Yongin joined the 1 million population club in 2017.

Goyang has large-scale housing developments, including Changneung New Town. Its population is likely to increase further. For many years, Goyang held the number two spot in Gyeonggi-do’s population rankings.

On the afternoon of May 1st, Labor Day, citizens visiting the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, are enjoying the holiday while watching the 'Samdo Panggut' performance. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, considering the speed of population growth, Yongin’s development is remarkable. Around 2000, Goyang had about 800,000 people, while Yongin had about 400,000. But Yongin’s population has more than doubled, nearly tripling.

Yongin covers an area of 591.26㎢. Considering that Goyang covers 268.08㎢, Yongin is more than twice as large. While a significant portion of Goyang’s area is occupied by Bukhansan National Park, Yongin has a large basic area and many developable housing sites.

Large-scale housing developments continue along the Gyeongbu Line and Shinbundang Line. Yongin also has room to grow alongside nearby cities such as Seongnam, Suwon, and Hwaseong. Given the abundance of jobs in the surrounding areas, if transportation improves, the population could increase significantly.

So, will the populations of Goyang and Yongin continue to expand and follow an upward curve? Looking at the population changes, it is difficult to say definitively. For the time being, population may increase based on inflows from Seoul and other cities, but such a trend cannot continue indefinitely.

The eternal concern for Goyang and Yongin is growth as self-sufficient cities rather than bedroom communities for Seoul commuters. Increasing quality jobs within the region and continuing a genuine number two competition in Gyeonggi-do is both the challenge and task for these two cities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.