Uijeongbu

Uijeongbu (의정부시) is a city in Gyeonggi.

M*A*S*H Television buffs may recognize the name as the location of the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the TV sitcom M*A*S*H, although the connection is by name only with the actual show being shot outside Malibu in California.

Understand

Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a defile, with mountains on two sides, and commands a natural choke point across the main traditional invasion route from the North into Seoul. As such it has a continued military significance and it contains U.S. and Korean military bases, positioned for the defense of the Korean capital. The U.S. Second Infantry Division has established a headquarters post in Uijeongbu.

Despite being known for its military presence, the area has boomed into a satellite community of Seoul with the usual civilian infrastructure and amenities. For tourists, the most interesting are the local mountains such as Mt. Dobong, Mt. Surak and Mt. Soyo. The mountains are popular recreational areas for hiking and are frequented by residents living in the Seoul Metropolitan area.

This city is also famous for its budae-jjigae (lit. "army base stew"), made with hot dogs and SPAM. In the city there is even a "buddaejjigae street", a street where there is a high concentration of army base stew restaurants.

Get in

Uijeongbu is just north of Seoul, so travelers can take the subway or bus to get to the city easily.

By subway

• Take Subway Line 1 and get off at either one of the following stations:
  • Hoeryong (#111 and U111)
  • Uijeongbu (#110)
  • Ganeung (#109)
  • Nogyang (#108)

By airport bus

From Incheon International Airport

• Airport-Uijeongbu Station (Bus Stop 8B, First Floor), ☏ +82 31-840-1625. You can take three different bus routes. Airport-Dongducheon, Airport-Uijeongbu, Airport-Jeongok. You can check the departure time from the Incheon International Airport Homepage. ₩11,000/per person. 

Get around

By light rail

There is a small light rail line ( U ) that is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway network. It is connected to the rest of the system at Hoeryong.

By taxi

You can easily find a taxi around the city. Especially, there is the taxi stand in front of the Uijeongbu subway station. The basic price is ₩1,900 and after that the price go up by ₩100/39s or ₩100/164m. You can use cash or credit card as your payment. If you need to call a taxi then you can call one of these numbers:

• 82-31-852-8556
• 82-31-878-8511
• 82-31-875-8552
• 82-31-840-8511

See

• Mangwol Temple, Mongwol Temple, Howon-dong, ☏ +82 31-873-7744. Built in 639, this temple has very high historic value. Many great saints stayed at this place, which preserves the beauty of the old buildings. 

Do

Mountain Climbing

• Surak Mountain, Located at the board of Uijeongbu city (Take the subway line number 7 and get off at the Surak-san station), ☏ +82 2-950-3888. Since the mountain is located at the boundary of Seoul, this place is very famous for mountain climbers. There are several different climbing courses available. Also the transportation to the mountain is very convenient. 
• Wondobong Mountain, In Pukan National Park. Wondobong Mountain is located along the Pukan Mountain. There are many places for recreation and also many restaurants. 

Buy

• Uijeongbu Jeil Conventional Market, 160, Uijeongbu-dong, ☏ +82 31-846-2617. 08:00–21:00. Jeil Conventional Market is the traditional form of a Korean market. Green Road, Jungangro, Tapyongro and Toegyero surround the market. It has Four different buildings and each building has many different stores such as restaurants, food markets, clothes and home equipment. You can walk from the Uijeongbu Subway station. It is not recommended to bring a car because Green Road doesn't allow traffic. There are public parking lots around the conventional market. Usually, the price of a parking lot is ₩1,000/30 min. 

Eat

Budae jjigae is the spicy stew made with Spam, sausages, ramen noodles and kimchi. It can also be called the army's stew because people first started to eat this after the Korean War, when the impoverished Koreans put this dish together using scraps from the U.S. military such as spam and sausages. Since the city contains many army camps, budae jjigae became a famous food that represents the city.

• Odeng Restaurant, 220-58, Uijeongbu 1-dong (Located at Budaejjige Street), ☏ +82 31-842-0423. 08:30~22:00. A very historic place where all the servers are old ladies. It has unique atmosphere compared to other restaurants and the Budaejjige is great!! ₩6,000/person. 
• Hyeong Nae Restaurant, 220-56, Uijeongbu 1-dong (Located at Budaejjige Street), ☏ +82 31-846-4833. 09:00~23:00. This place is also located at the Budaejjige Street. This place is also famous and have little different taste from the Odeng Restaurant. There are not many choices at the Odeng Restaurant, but you can find different types of Budaejjige at the Hyeong Nae Restaurant for example you can add extra cheese or bacon on your stew. ₩6,000/person. 

Galbi is the grilled marinated beef ribs. It is well known food internationally. Galbi is not hard to find any Korean style restaurant all over the world. In Uijeongbu, there is several different places that are famous for Galbi. Galbi is considered as the special food for special day. It costs are usually higher than other foods but it is worth to try.

• Gamagoll, 764-4, Singok-dong (Located in front of 2nd Gyeonggi Government Office), ☏ +82 31-877-5000. Gamagoll is the franchise restaurant therefore there are several other locations in the city. However, this place is the newest building and easy to find because it located in front of the government building. It is not necessary to make a reservation during week days but it is good idea to make a reservation for weekends. Reservation can be made on the online. ₩32,000/person. 

Drink

• Mia's, Uijeongbu. Nice little bar just outside of Uijeongbu Station. A mix of G.I.'s and other local Koreans. Drinks are fairly priced, and the staff is friendly. 
• Toms Ville, Uijeongbu. Awesome bar! Great prices and Great staff. Lots of local women. Weekends are busy and have many Soldiers. 
• The Mix. One of the more popular bars with soldiers, the mix has a relaxed atmosphere with music and beers from around the world. A famous drink is the "Oh My God." 

Sleep

• Hotel El'Lee, 449-15, Uijeongbu-dong (5 Minutes from the Uijeongbu Subway Station), ☏ +82 31-877-8087. It is very modern style hotel. It located at the center of the city. It is good place for people who like to enjoy the city life. ₩50,000~₩70,000/night. 
• Jikdong Cottages, 326-20, Uijeongbu-dong (Behind the Youth Student Center), ☏ +82 31-828-4999. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. This place is run by the City government. There are three different sizes of rooms. Five people can stay in the smallest room and eight people can stay in medium size room. The largest room can hold up to 25 people. Reservations are crucial. ₩44,000~₩110,000/house. 

Connect

• Uijeongbu City Hall, 326-2, Uijeongbu-dong, ☏ +82 31-828-2114. (updated Mar 2023)

Go next

Routes through Uijeongbu

Soyosan ← Yangju ←

'  '

→ Seoul