Abstract
In this paper the author investigates the development of the central place system, focusing mainly upon the coexistence of the periodic market system with the urban system in Chung-cheong Buk province, located in central Korea. Since the 1960's, this study area has been developed from a rural area into a urban one. The author analyzes two major factors which. greatly affect the development of the central place system: a) agricultural modernization and the rise in the standard of living, and b) development of the public transportation system, particularly bus service. Three periods (1940, 1965, 1980) are selected to represent the remark-able changes, in accordance with the development stage of above-mentioned factors and the study result from the previous paper (Jeon, 1982). The following is a brief explanation of the changing process in the central place system during these three periods
1. Periodic market system (1940)
In 1940, a center with a periodic market had played a role as central place, because the periodic market was a focus for the general personal behavior. And then we could see a periodic market system as a kind of central place system, and the central place hierarchy consisted of three levels. The third-ordered-center had a daily fixedd market with wholesale function and a periodic market, the second-ordered-center had a periodic market, and the first-ordered-center had a periodic market with only lower-ordered functions. And in the re-gion around Cheong-ju, the seat of the provincial government, we can find that the spatial distribution of central places is in accordance with the Christaller's traffic principal.
2. Mixed system of periodic markets and urban places (1965)
In 1965, the central place system was characterized by an increase in periodic markets and the appearance of modernized urban establishments (shopping streets, theaters, medical facilities, etc.). These two features were somewhat contrary to each other. We can see the tendency of the periodic market system toward urban system in this period. And at this time, the quasi-first-ordered-center of a periodic market with only a part of lower-ordered functions was added to the central place hierarchy.
3. Urban system with periodic market (1980)
In 1980, the periodic market was weakened or disappeared because of the continuous increase in urban establishments. And the central place system evolved into an urban system. But the periodic markets functioned only at the level of the first-ordered-center, so we can label it as urban system with periodic market. In the central place hierarchy consisted of four levels, Cheong-ju was raised to the fourth-ordered-center, because its influence sphere extended with the increase and improvement of urban establishments (large-sized shops, shop-ping centers, financial establishments, hospitals, etc.). And the quasi-first-ordered-centers disappeared.
Chung-cheong Buk province has become more closely related to Dae-jeon and Seoul, which are the larger cities than Cheong-ju. But the influence sphere of Dae-jeon (the so-called provincial center located in neighboring Chung-cheong Nam province) affects the south part of this area, competing with Cheong-ju. On the other hand, the influence sphere of Seoul (Korea's capital city) covers almost all this area, and Cheong-ju is in a subordinate relation-ship with Seoul. On a national scale, therefore, we can see the primate system dominated by Seoul, the primate city.
From above mentioned analysis we can model the changing process of the central place system in this area as Fig. 10.
