CH'ONGJU

city, Ch'ungch'ong-puk do (province), central South Korea. An old inland rural city, it is now the political and economic centre of the province. After the city was connected to Seoul by highway in 1970, it developed rapidly. Rice, barley, beans, cotton, and tobacco are produced within the vicinity. The main industries are tobacco products for the Office of Monopoly of Tobacco Manufacturers, which is located there, and silk weaving. The city is also the educational centre of the province, being the site of Chungbuk National University, Ch'ongju University (1946), Ch'ongju Women's College (1969), and Ch'ongju Junior Teachers' College (1962). Pop. (1990) 477,783.