Suncheon, city, South Jeolla do (province), southern South Korea. Located on the Yeosu Peninsula approximately 90 miles (145 km) southeast of Gwangju, the provincial capital, it is an administrative and economic center of the eastern part of the province. With neighboring Yeosu, the city experienced upheaval during the Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion in 1948.
A transportation junction, Suncheon is connected by rail with Mokpo, with Seoul through Gwangju and Daejeon, and with Busan through Jinju and Changwon. It is also a service center for the surrounding area. Northwest of the city is Songgwang Temple (Songgwang-sa), one of the country’s three key Buddhist temples (the others are Haein and Tongdo) and a center of Seon (Zen) Buddhist practice. Pop. (2020) 272,449.