Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province to Decide New Name by Referendum... Until April 7

Gyeonggi Province is conducting a nationwide online vote until April 7 on the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province naming contest website (http://bit.ly/새이름공모전) for 10 final candidate names.

Earlier, from January 18 to February 19, Gyeonggi Province held a nationwide contest to select a new name for the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province. Over the course of about a month, a total of 52,435 new name submissions were received. Gyeonggi Province conducted three rounds of evaluation involving promotion, naming experts, historians, and related specialists to select 10 final candidates. The evaluation considered combinations of major cities and place names in Gyeonggi, Korean language names, sound, and duplication of place names.

Gyeonggi Northern Special Self-Governing Province Contest Poster

The candidates finalized through expert review are ▲Gyeongui Special Autonomous Province (representing proximity to the Gyeongui Line in northern Gyeonggi and including the meaning of Uijeongbu) ▲Gyeonghyeon Special Autonomous Province (historical meaning derived from Gihyeon, meaning a region near the capital, from the name Gyeonggi) ▲Gijeon Special Autonomous Province (an old nickname for Gyeonggi, symbolizing harmony between the northern and southern parts as a greater Gyeonggi) ▲Yangjeong Special Autonomous Province (representing the major cities of northern Gyeonggi, Goyang and Uijeongbu, with an image of a clear and bright city) ▲Onyu Special Autonomous Province (meaning a warm and gentle region, with a name that can be expressed in various languages) ▲Ieum Special Autonomous Province (emphasizing Gyeonggi’s location as a symbolic connector between South and North Korea) ▲Imhan Special Autonomous Province (reflecting regional symbolism by expressing the spatial range of the Imjin River, Hantan River, and Han River flowing through northern Gyeonggi) ▲Pyeonghwa Nuri Special Autonomous Province (symbolizing northern Gyeonggi’s regional uniqueness and potential with the value of ‘peace’) ▲Hangyeong Special Autonomous Province (including the potential for development in northern Gyeonggi and the historical significance of Namgyeong, the old name of Yangju in Gyeonggi) ▲Hanbaek Special Autonomous Province (expressing Gyeonggi’s role as the center of the Korean Peninsula encompassing Hallasan and Baekdusan).

Voters can select the name that best suits northern Gyeonggi, which will be a new growth engine for the future Republic of Korea, from these 10 names. Voting is allowed up to three times per day, and participation is possible every day during the voting period. Among voters, various prizes such as department store gift certificates will be awarded through a lottery.

Gyeonggi Province will decide the new name of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province by combining the results of the nationwide online vote and the final evaluation by the judging panel.

The winning name will be announced on April 26.

Kang Hyun-seok, head of the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province Promotion Team, said, "We thank all citizens for their enthusiastic support in participating in the naming contest for the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province." He added, "We will do our best to select a new name that reflects the hopes and expectations of the people for the Gyeonggi Northern Special Autonomous Province. We also ask for your active interest in the nationwide vote for the candidate names."

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