Osan

Osan is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, located about 35 kilometers south of Seoul. It has a population of over 200,000 people. The local economy is driven by a mix of agriculture and industry. Osan was officially recognized in 1914 during the Japanese occupation of Korea, which brought about changes to the local governmental structures. At that time, Osan was a 'myeon' (township), part of Suwon. The name 'Osan' originates from a stream within the city called Osan Stream. However, before the Japanese occupation, the city's name was written in Hanja as 鰲山, meaning 'Turtle Mountain,' due to the complexity of the character 鰲 (‘o’) and the abundance of turtles in the area. Consequently, the Japanese authorities changed the Hanja to 烏山, meaning 'Crow Mountain'.