Gangwon Province, South Korea
Gangwon Province, officially Gangwon State, is a Special Self-Governing Province of South Korea. It is known as the largest and least densely populated subdivision of South Korea. Gangwon is one of the three provinces in South Korea with special self-governing status, the others being Jeju Province and Jeonbuk State. Gangwon is bordered on the east by the East Sea, it borders Gyeonggi Province to the west, North Gyeongsang Province and North Chungcheong Province to the south, and the Military Demarcation Line to the north, separating it from North Korea. In the 1945 division of Korea, the historical Gangwon Province was divided in half, and remains so to this day.
Pyeongchang County in Gangwon hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2018 Winter Paralympics. Gangwon also hosted the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.
History
Gangwon Province was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon period, formed in 1395, deriving its name from the names of the principal cities of Gangneung and the provincial capital Wonju.In 1895 Gangwon Province was replaced by the Districts of Chuncheon in the west and Gangneung in the east, with Wonju becoming a part of Chungju 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 as Kōgen-dō.
In 1945 Gangwon Province, along with the rest of Korea, was divided by the 38th parallel north in 1945, to create American and Soviet zones of occupation in the south and north respectively, leading to Wonsan 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 the Korean War Armistice Agreement of 1953, the boundary between the South and North Korean portions of the province was shifted north, to the Military Demarcation Line.
On June 11, 2023, Gangwon Province became a special self-governing province, and the official English name is Gangwon State. English names are not governed by national law, and each of the three special self-governing provinces uses different vocabulary.
Geography
Landscape
The State's landscape is dominated by the Taebaek Mountains which almost reaches the sea. As a consequence, much of the coast is steep and rocky.Regions
Gangwon Province and its North Korean counterpart Kangwŏn are together referred to as the Gwandong region. The region west of the Taebaek Mountains is called Yeongseo, while the region east of the mountains is called Yeongdong. The term "Yeongdong" is frequently used in reference to transportation services from Seoul, meaning one might catch a bus or train on the Yeongdong Line, or drive to Gangneung on the Yeongdong Expressway.Climate
Gangwon Province's Köppen climate classification's climate class is occasionally humid subtropical, because in some of its areas, especially in most of Yeongdong, it is Cfa, otherwise, its climate class is Hot-summer humid continental climate, because it is Dwb in some mountain areas, Dfa in eastern areas, Dfb in eastern mountain areas, and Dwa otherwise. The Taebaek Mountains create different climates in Yeongdong and Yeongseo.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 the Korea Meteorological Administration's data, average temperatures vary. In Yongdong, the average temperature is, and in Yeongseo, it is. All of the province's average temperatures range from. and the yearly amount of rainfall is, concentrated on mountain areas, being one of the snowiest areas in South Korea.
Resources
The area of Gangwon Province in both North Korea and South Korea is, with South Korea's Gangwon-do covering. The province is renowned for its agricultural produce, especially potatoes and fish, including cuttlefish and pollock. Mineral resources from the province include iron, coal, fluorite, limestone and tungsten. There are some hydroelectric, thermoelectric power plants in the region.Demographics
According to the 2015 census, 16.4% of the population follow Buddhism and 24.1% follow Christianity. 58.7% of the population is not religious and 0.8% of the population follow other religions.Culture and heritage
Heritage
It is not known exactly when human settlement in what is now Gangwon Province began, but Paleolithic sites have been excavated.Many historical artifacts are found in the region, like the Later Silla era's Bell of Sangwonsa, the North–South States Period era's Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha of Dopiansa Temple, the Goryeo era's Main Gate of Imyeonggwan Guesthouse, and the Joseon era's Documents of Sangwonsa Temple. Other popular historical areas, like Ojukheon are located in the region.
Because of Gangwon Province's landscape, a number of old Buddhist temples have survived, like Woljeongsa and Oseam.
Museums
Established in 2002, the Chuncheon National Museum is operated by the central government for the purpose of classification and reservation. The local government also has museums, including the Park Su-geun Art Museum, and the Taebaek Coal Museum. Purpose-built private museums, such as the ChamSori Gramophone Edison Museum are also operated.Festivals
In Gangwon Province, almost all of the regions hold festivals. Gangneung Danoje was listed in UNESCO's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.Geographically, Gangwon Province has several national parks as well as some natural monuments.
Food
Gangwon Province is composed of mountains or basins, so locals mainly make food with potatoes or buckwheat. 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; and Yanggu County is famous for Yanggu dried green radish cuisine. 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; and Samcheok is famous for blowfish soup. These are normally very simple and easy to cook, like the province's traditional food.Tourism
National Parks & Nature Monuments
Due to the Taebaek Mountains, Gangwon Province has 4 national parks & several natural monuments.- Seoraksan National Park: Seoraksan National Park has rocky terrain around Daecheongbong, and was listed in the Man and the Biosphere Programme. The government designated the area as a nature reserve in 1965, and UNESCO designated it as a biosphere reserve in 1982. It was also the first Korean national park to be named under the National Park Law in 1970. It is popular with tourists and nature enthusiasts, and home to many rare flora and fauna making it valued for its floral diversity. The reserve spans, and includes many mountain peaks measuring over 1,200 metres above sea level, the tallest being Daecheongbong, at an altitude of 1,708 metres. The ranges are composed largely of dissected granite and gneiss. There are about 1,013 species of plants known, with 822 vascular plant species. Pine trees such as the Siberian pine are abundant on the southern slopes whilst the northern slopes of the mountain range are characterized by oaks and other deciduous trees. Thuja grow in the deep valleys, dwarf pines and yews grow on low and high slopes. Juniper, hawthorn, forsythias, saw-worts and Manchurian fir can be found, with rare plants in the reserve including Hanabusaya asiatica. 1,562 animal species have been classified so far. including otters, the Siberian flying squirrel, kestrel, Chinese sparrowhawk, lenok, Chinese minnow, and the spotted barbel. Endangered animals include the Tristram's woodpecker, Korean goral, and Korean musk deer. Cultural landmarks in the reserve include the Buddhist temples Baekdamsa and Sinheungsa.
- Odaesan National Park: Odaesan is located in the center of Baekdudaegan, and it was assigned as a national park in 1975. Odaesan is one of the holy places of Korean Buddhist cultures.
- Chiaksan National Park: Chiaksan is derived from the southwest side of Odaesan, close to Wonju. In 2014, Wonju and the Korea National Park Service collaborated to make walking routes.
- Taebaeksan National Park: Taebaeksan is a traditional and historical "holy mountain," and it was assigned as a national park on October 22, 2016. 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 and thus designated it as the 22nd national park. The park ranges from Gangwon Province to North Gyeongsang Province and spans. There are various cultural assets in Taebaeksan Mountain including Cheonjaedan, a place where a harvest ceremony had been held for thousands of years, and Geomryeongso, the source of the Han River. It also has various and outstanding ecological landscapes including the biggest wildflower habitat in the country, yew habitat around Janggunbong Peak, and Baekcheon Valley, the world's southernmost Lenok habitat.