Gwangseong

Gwangseong (Zhenian: 광성), also known as Gwangseongpo (Zhenian: 광성포) and formally the City of Gwangseong (Zhenian: 광성시), is a Zhenian city in Namhae Province. The city is located along the southeastern edge of the Danguk Peninsula and facing the East Zhenian Sea directly to its east. It is the tenth largest city in the nation by population, being home to over 7.1 million residents. It comprises of 8 districts and two counties administered under the municipal government of Gwangseong, and is part of the Prefecture of Gwangseong, in which the city hosts the Prefectural Seat. Being home to the largest port in the Danguk Peninsula, it has become one of the largest economic centers of the eastern Danguk Peninsula as well as the East Zhenian Sea.

Starting as a naval outpost of the Zhen dynasty at the mouth of the Gwangdong River at around 398 BC, the city grew to prominence as a major port in the West Hanmaric trade network during the Eastern Zhen and Jin dynasties when Chang Munmu established the base of operations for his anti-piracy operations during the later days of the Eastern Zhen, being situated at the eastern node of the trading network that extended as west as Qaras. The city has been a major trading port and eventually the home port of the Zhenian Navy since the early modern ages, being the historic starting point of many Shindanese expeditions across the Hanmaric Ocean. It has also grown into a massive shipbuilding and steelworks hub since the 15th century AC, being a major core of Zhenia's industrial revolution at the time. Despite losing its position as Zhenia's primary core of heavy engineering amid Zhenia's economic resurgence after the Second Great War, the city remained prosperous amid increases in maritime trade and transport as well as the influx of the aerospace industry in the later half of the 16th century AC.

Today, Gwangseong is a major trading, transport and trading hub in the Zhenian east coast: the Port of Gwangseong is the second-largest port in the nation by cargo tonnage after the Port of Jinhae, while it is a major terminus point for many of the nation's key expressways and railroads. The Bank of Munmu, founded in 908 AC, is one of the oldest banks in the world still in operation and has played a prominent role in engineering the city's prosperity. The city is home to the base of operations of many leading Zhenian high-tech companies, including Rotunda, Munmu Arsenal, MC&T Engineering, Mir Shipbuilding & Maritime Engineering (MSME) and the secondary headquarters of the Jinmu Group. The city also permanently hosts the home port of the Second Fleet of the Republic of Zhenia Navy since 1504 AC.

Middle and Early Modern ages
Gwangseong prospered as one of the main outer ports of the Eastern Zhen and Jin dynasties, but especially under Chang Munmu, who as Governor of Gwangseong, commenced anti-piracy operations from the city and built a maritime trade network throughout the Western Hanmaric. It was during this time the city began to be referred to as its current name, Gwangseong, rather than 'Gwangseongpo', indicating the city's growth as a major city in the Danguk Peninsula's east coast. Although Chang's maritime empire ended after the hereditary succession system of the city was abolished under the Jin dynasty, it provided the impetus for the city to grow into the second-largest city in the Danguk Peninsula, with the city estimated to have been home to around 1 million residents by 600 AC - a title that would not be broken until to this day.

Modern history
On 1404, Gwangseong became the site of the Treaty of Gwangseong, signed primarily between Shindan and the Eight Feudatories, which resulted in the subsequent formation of the League of the Eight Feudatories the same year. While the treaty was initially planned to be held in Jinhae, which was a directly-controlled municipality of Shindan at the time, it is widely known that Shindanese officials had insisted upon signing the treaty within Shindanese soil.

Economy
With its nominal GDP at around $283 billion, Gwangseong alone contributes to over 40 percent of all economic activity in Namhae Province, while is metropolitan area, which includes neighboring cities within the province, contributes well over 55 percent of the province's total economic activity. As the primary maritime logistics hub in the Danguk Peninsula and the East Zhenian Sea with its world-class ports while also serving as the eastern terminus of major transport networks traversing the nation, Gwangseong has remained a key element to not just Gyeongcheon Province but also to the Zhenian economy as a whole.

Part of the city's economy, due to the existence of a, also relies on the presence of the Second Fleet of the Republic of Zhenia Navy, which has its home port in the city's Dong-gu district. Being the home port of one of the largest fleets in the world, the city in 1600 AC was home to 64 ships and 36,000 sailors, soldiers and private contractors associated with the Navy. While around 4% of all civilian jobs in the city were related to the Republic of Zhenia Navy's presence in Gwangseong, while the figure rises to around 12% when taking into account many of the nation's defense contractors within Gwangseong Prefecture.

Public transit
Gwangseong is home to an extensive public transportation network that comprises of buses, metros, ferries, taxis and commuter trains, although the city itself is mostly built around rail transport, as is the case with several major cities in the Danguk Peninsula. All public transport within Gwangseong is covered by the Gwangseong Public Transit Payment System, although other transit payment systems are also compatible with the city's transit system.

Road and rail
Being situated at the southeastern edge of the Danguk Peninsula, Gwangseong is widely considered the southern terminus of many road and rail lines traversing the Danguk Peninsula from north to south, including the Golden Arc Expressway and both lines of the Trans Golden Arc Line.

Sea and air


Gwangseong is home to the Port of Gwangseong, the second-largest port by cargo tonnage in the nation as well as the largest port in the Danguk Peninsula. It is a major container port for trade in the Danguk Peninsula as well as a major stopping point for cruise ships in the Gulf of Danguk and the North Zhenian Sea. Most sections of the port are sections that have been relocated from the city's historical district, with concerns that the river was unsuitable for docking and unloading large container ships. The port is managed by the Gwangseong Port Authority, a public company in which the Gwangseong Prefectural Government maintains a majority stake. Gwangseong New Port, the currently-planned expansion to the port, is expected to expand the port from the mainland into Handeok Island in northeastern Gwangseong, separated by the mainland by the 2.6-kilometer-wide Strait of Munmu.

Gwangseong and adjoining areas are primarily served by the Gwangseong Munmu International Airport, named in honor of one of the city's most notable citizens. Located around 21 kilometers southwest of city center in the Gulf of Yeongsan, the airport offers direct connections to most cities around Zhenia as well as international connections mostly to other nations around Tarsis as well as Dyria and western Veharia. It is the single largest air hub in Zhenia's east coast as well as the second-largest within the Danguk Peninsula, only behind Daedo Capital International Airport.