The name Tongyeong means "command post" and is itself associated with Admiral Yi, as it refers to his principal base that was located on nearby Hansan Island.

Notable people associated with the city include Yi Sun-sin, whose headquarters were located there, and Yun Isang, a noted 20th-century composer.

The decision to group together a number of entities and incorporate them into the city of "Tongyong" erased the name Chungmu from the map of Korea and removed the home of the mythical grandmother from the peninsula.

[4] Park Kyung-ni was a novelist, who wrote the well-known novel Toji (토지, The Land) consisting of a 16-volume story, in Korea.

On May 3, 2009, Bevan Docherty of New Zealand won the men's race in a thrilling photo finish as he crossed the line almost simultaneously with Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia.

Go Si-wan, a Silhak (practical learning) scholar founded it in 1805, the fifth year of King Sunjo's reign.

[11] Baegun Seojae is currently situated in the neighborhood of Docheon-dong and designated as the ninth Cultural Material of South Gyeongsang Province.

High-school education, which lasts for three years, is not compulsory, but the most students do attend and graduate from high school.

[7] The College of Marine Science at Gyeongsang National University (GNU) is a branch campus in Tongyeong, specializing in marine-related studies.

[12] Its predecessor was Tongyeong Marine College, the successor of Gyeongnam Susan Jeonseupso (경남수산전습소) founded in 1917.

Novelist Pak Kyongni, poet Yu Chi-hwan, and composer Isang Yun are from Tongyeong, and there are various cultural contents related to them.

[16] As Tongyeong is influenced by East Korea Warm Current, it has a mild oceanic climate during the whole year.

Plants growing in the city show characters of the warm temperate zone such as Cryptomeria, Chamaecyparis obtusa, Pinus thunbergii, Paulownia coreana, Pitch Pine, bamboo, camellia, and palm trees.

[15][16] The average annual rainfall is 1,397 millimeters, so Tongyeong is classified as one of places in South Korea that receive a lot of rain.