Ulsan is a metropolitan city 70 kilometres north of Busan, and the closest large city from there. As a city Ulsan is somewhat similar to Suwon compared to Seoul regarding distance and size. Ulsan is a large centre for Korean whaling, as well as a large industrial centre. The Hyundai corporation has its base here; operating the largest ship building facility in the world, among other things. One of the largest car manufacturing sites is also located here (KIA), as is one of the world's largest oil refineries (SK Corp).
The city of Ulsan, although in area the largest in Korea, is quite small when the metro area is considered. It is possible to get just about anywhere for under 10,000 won in a taxi.
The city is also home to K-League soccer side Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i and Korean Basketball League team Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Automons.
Population
(2001 figures)
| Section | # of households | Total population | % of population | Male | Female | # of foreign registrations
|
| Total | 327,732 | 1,048,838 | 100% | 538,451 | 510,387 | 4,217
|
| Jung-gu | 74,187 | 232,764 | 22.2% | 119,313 | 113,451 | 406
|
| Nam-gu | 105,216 | 336,992 | 32.1% | 171,860 | 165,132 | 991
|
| Dong-gu | 55,610 | 186,629 | 17.8% | 96,935 | 89,694 | 1,013
|
| Buk-gu | 36,826 | 122,275 | 11.7% | 63,624 | 58,651 | 549
|
| Ulju | 55,893 | 170,178 | 16.2% | 86,719 | 83,459 | 1,258
|
Administrative divisions
Ulsan includes 4 wards ("Gu") and 1 county ("Gun").
- Buk-gu (북구; 北區) - top right
- Dong-gu (동구; 東區) - far right
- Jung-gu (중구; 中區) - centre
- Nam-gu (남구; 南區) - bottom centre
- Ulju-gun (울주군; 蔚州郡) - large swath of land to the left
Sister cities
- Hagi, Japan (since 1968)
- Hualien, Taiwan (since 1981)
- Portland, Oregon, USA (since 1987)
- Changchun, China (since 1994)
- Tomsk, Russia (since 2003)
Climate
Ulsan shares nearly the same climate as Busan. It is located on the southern coast and thus has a moderate maritime climate. The average annual temperature is 13.8 C, with 1274 mm of precipitation per year and an average humidity of 67.5%.
Industry
The following is a comparison of production in Ulsan to the rest of the country.
Automobiles
(monetary unit: USD)
| Classification | Nationwide | Ulsan
|
| Production | 87 billion | 23 billion (27.1%)
|
| Value Added Tax | 29 billion | 8 billion (27.9%)
|
| No. of companies | 3,669 | 182 (5%)
|
| No. of employees | 247,490 | 46,697 (18.9%)
|
Shipbuilding
(monetary unit: USD)
| Classification | Nationwide | Ulsan
|
| Production | 29 billion | 11 billion (37.9%)
|
| Value Added Tax | 10 billion | 4 billion (39.2%)
|
| No. of companies | 1,095 | 134 (12.2%)
|
| No. of employees | 106,697 | 36,190 (34.1%)
|
Petrochemicals
(monetary unit: USD)
| Classification | Nationwide | Ulsan
|
| Production | 126 billion | 42 billion (33.8%)
|
| Value Added Tax | 13 billion | 7 billion (54.9%)
|
| No. of companies | 4,035 | 172 (4.3%)
|
| No. of employees | 145,821 | 18,371 (12.6%)
|
Foreign investment
Some notable companies that have invested in Ulsan include DuPont Korea, BASF Korea, Solvay Fluor Korea, Duckyang Ind., and Odfjell Korea.
Foreign companies with locations in Ulsan
| Classification | Total | Japan | USA | Germany | England | France | Malaysia | Other
|
| Number of businesses | 89 | 27 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 31
|
| Amount invested ($million) | 2,709 | 522 | 519 | 708 | 116 | 68 | 50 | 726
|
Education
Learning Korean
Korean lessons are held every Saturday from 11:30 to 1:30 at the Hyundai Motors Cultural Center in Yeompo-dong, on the 3rd floor. Three months costs 30,000 won.
- Tel: Mrs. Yoon - 016-546-5894
Korean Lessons at Ulsan University
Ulsan University offers 2 different Korean Programs
Intensive programs meet about 20 hours a week and last for 10 weeks. The cost is 1,050,000 won. They cover reading, writing, grammar, speaking, Korean culture, listening, etc.
Class times are: Monday - Thursday 9-12 and 2-4
Conversation programs meet about 6 hours a week and run for about 10 weeks. The cost for them is around 300,000 won. They cover basic conversational Korean.
Class times are: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9-11 and 11-1
For More information Contact:
Ulsan University Office of International Affairs and Education
052-259-2079
Restaurants and Bars
Restaurants
As the average Korean, Japanese, and Chinese restaurants are in abundance throughout Korea and are easy for foreigners to find, the following restaurants reflect a sampling of restaurants considered to be either popular or are western-friendly choices and other ethnic foods.
Bars
The following is a list of expat bars in Ulsan.
External links
