Gangwon-do is a province of
South Korea, with its
capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its
North Korean neighbour
Kangwon formed a single province.
Gangwon-do was
one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon
Dynasty. The province was formed in 1395, and derived its
name from the names of the principal cities of Gangneung and the provincial capital
Wonju.
In 1895, Gangwon-do was replaced by the Districts of Chuncheon in the
west and Gangneung in the east. (Wonju became part of
Chungju District.)
In 1896, Korea was redivided into
thirteen provinces, and the two districts were merged to re-form Gangwon-do Province. Although Wonju rejoined Gangwon-do province, the provincial capital was moved to Chuncheon, where it remains today.
In 1945, Gangwon-do (
along with the rest of Korea) was divided by the 38th
parallel north in 1945 into U.S.
American and Soviet zones of occupation in the
south and north respectively, which led to
Wonsan joining the province\'s
northern half in 1946 to serve as its administrative
center. In 1948, the
southern half of the province became part of the
new Republic of South Korea. As a result of the Korean
War ceasefire of 1953, the boundary between the South and North Korean portions of the province was shifted northward to the Military Demarcation
Line. The province\'s boundaries have remained the same since 1953.
Population around 1,600,000
; "Kangwŏn")
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