History
In the early Three Kingdoms period, the small kingdom of Goryeong Gaya is traditionally supposed to have been based in Hamchang, making it by far the northernmost state of the Gaya confederacy.
The reputed tomb of Goryeong's founder, who is also the progenitor of the Hamchang Kim lineage, is located near the town center. On Obong Mountain, other tombs dating to the Three Kingdoms period have been excavated. These are sometimes associated with Sabeol-guk, a minor state which appears in early Silla records . What relation may have existed between Sabeol-guk and Goryeong Gaya, or whether they were in fact the same kingdom, is not known.
By the early 6th century, the Hamchang area was securely under Silla control. It was subsequently administered as part of the ju of Sangju. At this time, Hamchang was known by various names which appear to suggest a connection with Goryeong Gaya, such as Goreung (고릉, 古陵), Gonyeong (고녕, 古寧), and Godongnam-gun (고동람군, 古冬欖郡).
In the Goryeo period, in 964, the area became known as Hamnyeong-gun (함녕군, 咸寧郡). The name changed to the present "Hamchang" in 1018. In the Joseon period, the Hamchang area was designated as Hamchang-hyeon in 1490 and Hamchang-gun (Hamchang County) in 1895. In 1914, it became known as Hamchang-myeon and was included in Sangju County. It received its present designation as Hamchang-eup by presidential decree on December 1, 1980.