The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (Korean: 이리시; Hanja: 裡里市; RR: Iri-si), but merged with Iksan County (Iksan-gun) in 1995.

In late November 2006, Korean authorities quarantined a farm in Iksan and began culling poultry and livestock within a 3-kilometer radius to contain an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

[2] Local tradition includes the story of Seodong and Seonhwa, which was broadcast from 2005 to 2006 as "Sedongyo" and is also dramatized in the 'Paradise in Autumn Festival.'

As it is located very near the sea where ships can transport a wide variety of products, Iksan has served as a logistical and traffic center for a long time.

Hamra lead to a series of hills and a great stream that has formed the fertile Okgu plain to the west.