Gyeongju , historically known as "Seorabeol", is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of
North Gyeongsang Province in
South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after
Andong, covering with a population of 264,091 people (as of December 2012.) Gyeongju is southeast of
Seoul, and east of the provincial capital,
Daegu. The city borders
Cheongdo and
Yeongcheon to the west,
Ulsan to the south and
Pohang to the north, while to the east lies the coast of the
Sea of Japan (East Sea). Numerous low mountains—outliers of the
Taebaek range—are scattered around the city.