Gangwon Province was one of theEight Provinces of Korea during theJoseon period, formed in 1395, deriving its name from the names of the principal cities ofGangneung (강릉;江陵) and the provincial capitalWonju (원주;原州).
In 1895 Gangwon Province was replaced by theDistricts of Chuncheon (Chuncheon-bu;춘천부;春川府) in the west and Gangneung (Gangneung-bu;강릉부;江陵府) in the east, with Wonju becoming a part ofChungju District.
In 1896 Korea was re-divided into thirteen provinces, and the two districts were merged to re-form Gangwondo Province. Although Wonju re-joined Gangwon-do, the provincial capital was moved to Chuncheon, where it remains. During the Japanese rule of Korea, it was known asKōgen-dō.
In 1945 Gangwon Province, along with the rest of Korea, was divided by the38th parallel north in 1945, to createAmerican andSoviet zones of occupation in the south and north respectively, leading toWonsan joining the northern half in 1946 to serve as its administrative center. In 1948, the southern half of the province became part of the new South Korea. As a result of theKorean WarArmistice Agreement of 1953, the boundary between the South and North Korean portions of the province was shifted north, to theMilitary Demarcation Line.
On June 11, 2023, Gangwon Province became a special self-governingprovince, and the official English name isGangwon State.[5] English names are not governed by national law, and each of the three special self-governing provinces uses different vocabulary.[6]
The State's landscape is dominated by theTaebaek Mountains (calledTaebaek Sanmaek) which almost reachthe sea. As a consequence, much of the coast is steep and rocky.[citation needed]
Gangwon Province and its North Korean counterpart Kangwŏn are together referred to as theGwandong region. The region west of the Taebaek Mountains is calledYeongseo, while the region east of the mountains is calledYeongdong. The term "Yeongdong" is frequently used in reference to transportation services fromSeoul, meaning one might catch a bus or train on theYeongdong Line, or drive toGangneung on theYeongdong Expressway.[citation needed]
The climate of Gangwon Province is influenced by its latitude. It has four seasons, with hot and humid summers, and cold, snowy winters. According to theKorea Meteorological Administration's data, average temperatures vary. In Yongdong, the average temperature is 11.0 °C (51.8 °F), and in Yeongseo, it is 10.8 °C (51.4 °F). All of the province's average temperatures range from 6.6 to 13.1 °C (43.9 to 55.6 °F). and the yearly amount of rainfall is 1,300–1,900 millimetres (51.2–74.8 in), concentrated on mountain areas, being one of the snowiest areas in South Korea.[7]
The area of Gangwon Province in both North Korea and South Korea is 20,569 km2 (7,941.74 sq mi),[2] with South Korea's Gangwon-do covering 16,874.59 km2 (6,515.32 sq mi). The province is renowned for its agricultural produce, especially potatoes and fish, includingcuttlefish andpollock. Mineral resources from the province includeiron,coal,fluorite,limestone andtungsten. There are somehydroelectric,thermoelectric power plants in the region.[citation needed]
According to the 2015 census, 16.4% of the population followBuddhism and 24.1% followChristianity (17.5%Protestantism and 6.6%Catholicism). 58.7% of the population is not religious and 0.8% of the population follow other religions.[9]
It is not known exactly when human settlement in what is now Gangwon Province began, butPaleolithic sites have been excavated.[11]
Many historical artifacts are found in the region, like theLater Silla era'sBell of Sangwonsa, theNorth–South States Period era's Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha of Dopiansa Temple, theGoryeo era's Main Gate of Imyeonggwan Guesthouse, and theJoseon era's Documents of Sangwonsa Temple. Other popular historical areas, likeOjukheon are located in the region.[citation needed]
Because of Gangwon Province's landscape, a number of old Buddhist temples have survived, likeWoljeongsa andOseam.
Gangwon Province is composed of mountains or basins, so locals mainly make food withpotatoes orbuckwheat.[16] All regions of the province have seasoned vegetable rice. For example,Jeongseon County is famous for Jeongseon thistle rice;Yeongwol County is famous for Yeongwol buckwheat rolls;Hwacheon County is famous for Hwacheon trout rice in a stone bowl and Hwacheon goatsbeard rice; andYanggu County is famous for Yanggu dried green radish cuisine.[17][18] In coastal regions, fish and salted seafood is consumed. For example,Donghae is famous for Donghae steamed fish;Sokcho is famous for Sokcho Squid Sausages; andSamcheok is famous for blowfish soup. These are normally very simple and easy to cook, like the province's traditional food.[16]
Odaesan National Park: Odaesan is located in the center ofBaekdudaegan, and it was assigned as a national park in 1975. Odaesan is one of the holy places of Korean Buddhist cultures.[20]
Chiaksan National Park: Chiaksan is derived from the southwest side of Odaesan, close toWonju. In 2014, Wonju and the Korea National Park Service collaborated to make walking routes.[21]
Taebaeksan National Park: Taebaeksan is a traditional and historical "holy mountain," and it was assigned as a national park on October 22, 2016.[22] Taebaeksan Mountain is located at the fork of Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, which starts from Bagdu into the south, heading to Jirisan Mountain. Ever since it has been designated as a provincial park, Taebaeksan Mountain has widened its realm[clarification needed] and thus designated it as the 22nd national park. The park ranges from Gangwon Province to North Gyeongsang Province (Bongwha-gun) and spans 70.052 km2 (27.047 sq mi). There are various cultural assets in Taebaeksan Mountain including Cheonjaedan, a place where a harvest ceremony had been held for thousands of years, andGeomryeongso, the source of the Han River. It also has various and outstanding ecological landscapes including the biggest wildflower habitat in the country (Geumdaebong Peak to Daedeoksan Mountain), yew habitat around Janggunbong Peak, and Baekcheon Valley, the world's southernmostLenok habitat.
The museum has a large amount of English in its narration of the history of the DMZ, as well as exhibits such asUnited StatesPOW letters and extensive amounts of photos. It is inside the Tongil Security Park.
Gangneung contains beaches connecting each other from north to south along the coast. These beaches are covered with pine tree forests, planted to block the sea breeze.Gangneung Coffee Street is built along the beach, and the Gangneung Coffee Festival is held every year.[26]
"Found in the DMZ"[clarification needed] was found by Korean guards listening to the sound of explosions under the ground during their shift. After determined excavation on March 19, 1975, "The Second Tunnel" was discovered. It was for a sudden raid by the North Korean Army into South Korea. The second tunnel is composed of a firm granitic layer, is 3.5 km in length, and various in depth from 50m-160m. About 1 km of it is nowadays open to visitors.[citation needed]
Woljeong-ri station is a historical building in the DMZ at Cheorwon. The tourist attraction, which can only be visited on escorted security tours of the DMZ, is an abandoned train station on the northernmost end of Korail's Gyeongwon Line. Near the station there was a small yard where rail stock was stored or shunted before leaving for Wonsan, now in North Korea, along the former Gyeongwon Line. Behind the station building there is the wreck of a train, bombed during the Korean War, used by the North Korean army and bombed by U.N. forces. In 2012, it became a place where artists can meet and exhibit their works.[citation needed]
South korean child watching north korea's skyline from the Goseon Unification Observatory Tower
When the area was part of North Korea from 1945 to 1953, the building is now the closest most South Koreans can get to North Korea. There are binoculars installed on the viewing deck, and inside the observatory is a large map labelled with mountain names and the locations of military installations. Kiosks here sell liquor, cash, postage stamps and other souvenirs from North Korea.[original research?] On a clear day, you can get a good view of Kumgang-san, about 20 km to the west. Despite the solemnity of the place, the parking lot is cluttered with souvenir shops and restaurants.[original research?] On the other side of the lot is the Korean War Exhibition Hall.
Gangwon Province's road length totals to 9,800 km (6,100 mi), and 75.1% is paved.[34]Some historical and traditional ridges have survived, likeDaegwallyeong. It has many routes, likeRoute 7, which is included inAH6.
Like the railways, Gangwon Province is connected byintercity bus networks in South Korea. All cities and counties have intercity terminals, which connect other cities or counties in the region or connect outer cities, districts, andIncheon International Airport.
Gangwon Province has many harbours. Some harbours are fishing ports, but other harbours are used for special purposes. For example, Mukpo Harbour functions as an exporting hub for cement & coal from theTaebaek Mountains.[35] Sokcho Harbour functions as a fishing port, a passenger harbour and as an exporting hub for iron ore.[35] Also recently[when?],Korea Gas Corporation built theLNG Platform Center at Hosan Harbour.[36]
Gangwon province also has ferry lines. Sokcho Harbour has a pier forcruise ships,[37] but until 2018, no cruise route existed.
Gangwon FC bases itself in the region, owned by Gangwon Province. Jin-seon Kim, the Governor of Gangwon Province announced it on April 28, 2008[41] and was established on December 18, 2008.[42]
Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball team, based inWonju, Gangwon Province. It was established is 1996. It donated coal in collaboration with a local government-owned company,Korea Coal Corporation.[45]
The main cities of the province areChuncheon (the provincial capital),Gangneung,Sokcho,Wonju, andDonghae. Currently Gangwon Province has 7 cities and 11 counties.[47]
^In June 2023 the area became aSpecial Self-Governing Province and changed its official English name to Gangwon State, however Gangwon Province remains in common and colloquial use.
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