In 475 CE, the land that would one day become Gwacheon was a part of Yulmok-gun, a county of the Korean Peninsula's Goguryeo dynasty.
Later, in 757, Unified Silla dubbed the area Yuljin-gun, a county of Hansan-ju, and the Goryeo dynasty renamed it Gwaju in 940.
A complete relocation of the capital proved financially impossible, but a compromise was reached[5] in 1975:[6] move key government agencies several kilometers south of Seoul's downtown, beyond the range of nearly all of North Korea's artillery capability.
Gwacheon-myeon, south of both Seoul and the protective Gwanaksan mountain range, was chosen as the site of this new administrative city in 1978, and a groundbreaking ceremony in Gwacheon was held in 1979.
[5] Several government ministries were moved from Seoul to Gwacheon throughout the 1980s and 1990s,[6] and residential districts were constructed to house the employees and their families.
Over the next four years, two amusement parks, a botanical garden, and the National Museum of Contemporary Art were also built on the property.
[9] The move had adverse effects on Gwacheon's local economy, with business such as restaurants and cafes losing considerable portions of their customer base.
Fifty-four shops shut down at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013, while others could no longer turn a profit and were forced to lay off employees.
The presence of mountains and forests accentuate the status of Gwacheon as a destination for Korean nature lovers.
Gwacheon Hyanggyo (Korean Confucianism institution built in 1389), YeonJudae (YeonJu Temple which is located at the end of cliff), three stepped pagoda of YeonJuAhm, and Portrait of HyoRyung Janggun (general HyoRyung) are listed as treasure of Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province) and map of Joseon (Old Korean Kingdom) located in History Ministry inside the governmental complex is listed as one of Korean national treasure.
In history of Korea, Gwacheon has not only been known for its landscape but also as important center of education and religious practices by Kings.