The name Punggi combines characters from Eunpung (殷豊) and Gicheon (基川), two older place names in the area, and dates to the Goryeo dynasty. During the Joseon period, Punggi was the seat of Punggi County. In 1542, the county magistrate Chu Sebung founded Sosu Seowon, the first seowon (private Confucian academy) in Korea, in nearby Sunheung-myeon.
In 1914, the townships of Dongbu-myeon, Seobu-myeon, and Changnak-myeon were merged into Punggi-myeon under Yeongju-gun. Punggi was elevated to town (eup) status on 1 July 1973. It became part of the current Yeongju city on 1 January 1995, when Yeongju-si and Yeongpung-gun were merged.
Demographics
Population census
Year
Population
2005
14,270
2010
14,178
2015
13,930
2020
11,546
At the 2020 census, 28.9% of the population was aged 65 or older. The town had 11,357 Korean nationals and 189 foreign residents.
Economy
Punggi ginseng
Punggi is known throughout South Korea for the cultivation of Korean ginseng. The town's ginseng market is one of the major ginseng trading centres in the country. Other local products include apples and Hanwoo beef.
Landmarks
A portion of Sobaeksan National Park lies within Punggi-eup's boundaries. On the Sobaeksan mountain, there is Huibangsa Temple which is a tourist attraction. The Memorial Park for the Korea Liberation Corps is also located in the town. Dongyang University has its campus in Punggi-eup. Punggi Hot Springs (풍기온천) is a local thermal bath facility.
