Yanggu 양구군 | |
|---|---|
| Korean transcription(s) | |
| • Hangul | 양구군 |
| • Hanja | 楊口郡 |
| • Revised Romanization | Yanggu-gun |
| • McCune-Reischauer | Yanggu-gun |
 Yanggu County Office | |
 Flag  Emblem of Yanggu | |
 Location in South Korea | |
| Country |  South Korea |
| Region | Gwandong |
| Administrative divisions | 1eup, 4myeon |
| Area | |
• Total | 700.8 km2 (270.6 sq mi) |
| Population (September 2024[1]) | |
• Total | 24,027 |
| • Density | 34/km2 (88/sq mi) |
| • Dialect | Gangwon |
Yanggu County (Yanggu-gun) is acounty inGangwon Province,South Korea.
The northern part of Yanggu County was part of the front line for much of theKorean War, and now borders theDemilitarized Zone. Several Korean War battle sites are located in Yanggu County, includingBloody Ridge,Heartbreak Ridge, and Hill 1179 (Daeusan). Yanggu is located in what is claimed to be the geographic center of theKorean peninsula. Dochon-ri village in Nam-myeon[2] in Yanggu is called the "navel of Korea".[3]
Yanggu County was the location of theBattle of Heartbreak Ridge and the month-longBattle of Heartbreak Ridge during theKorean War.[4] Due to its proximity to the Demilitarized Zone following theKorean ceasefire, the area was closed to civilians for several years which led to nature reclaiming the area around the battlefield. The battlefield was later opened to become a memorial and nature trail which goes around all of the memorials erected to soldiers that had died during those battles within the Yanggu County area.[4][5]
Since 2005, Yanggu County has become a main area for apple orchards. This increase was attributed to climate change causing orchards in lower South Korean provinces to become more susceptible to soil degradation, more activefruit moths andscale insects, andanthracnose infecting apple trees. It led to a number of farmers migrating north towards Yanggu due to the climate being more suitable for growing apples.[6]
Chizu, Japan
Jianli, China
Saint-Mandé, France| Geographic | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
38°06′29″N127°59′22″E / 38.107952°N 127.989507°E /38.107952; 127.989507
