Getting to Know Cheonan

CHEONAN (천 안) is a small, but growing city located in Chungchongnam-do (충청남도), South Korea. Above is a map of Cheonan city and the surrounding area. In the last five years there has been a population explosion in Cheonan. Construction of new apartment complexes is booming. Cheonan is located an hour south of Seoul by bus or train. It's a conveniently located city. The high speed train (Cheonan-Asan KTX) can take you to Seoul in 35 minutes or to Busan in 2.5 hours.

The most notable tourist sites are Independance Hall (독립기념관), Mt. Taejo (대조산)/ The Great Bronze Statue of Buddha (청동대좌불) and Gwandeok Temple (광덕사.)

There are many large department/grocery stores like E-mart, Lotte Mart, Carrefour and Galleria. There are even 5 McDonald's restaurants, one Burger King and a zillion Baskin Robbins and Dunkin Donut eateries. Cheonan has come of age!

Five years ago, the sole fast food restaurant chain here was a small McDonald's located in the bus terminal. Large independent movie theatres were overcrowded, overheated and offered their trademark sticky floors. Those days are gone. Cheonan now has a glitzy movie multi-plex located in Yawoori department store, next to the Galleria department store.