Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, South Korea

🇰🇷 Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province in South Korea. The city lies in the north of the county, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam (or Dam Uiam). The area is renowned for its small river islands, such as Sangjungdo, Ha-Jungdo, Bungeodo and Wido.

It is a popular destination among east Asian tourists as it was featured in the popular Korean drama Winter Sonata (겨울연가). It is where the resort island of Namiseom is located.

History The area now occupied by the city was first settled several thousands of years ago, in prehistoric times, as demonstrated by stone-age archaeological evidence in the collections of Chuncheon National Museum and Hallym University Museum. In 637 AD the city was called Usooju. In 757 AD it was renamed Saku and again in 940 AD as Chunju (춘주; 春州) before receiving its current name in 1413. In 1896, Chuncheon became the capital city of Gangwon province. The city was largely destroyed during the Korean War in the Battle of Chuncheon.

Uiam Dam on the Bukhan River was completed in 1967. In 1995 Chuncheon city was merged with the government of the surrounding Chuncheon county.

Culture In the spring, the Chuncheon International Mime Festival is held, as well as the Spring Season Art Festival. In the summer, the Chuncheon Puppet Festival takes place. There is also a Makguksu festival; a cold noodle dish that originated in Chuncheon. Also celebrated in the summer is the International Animation Festival. The city has had its own annual marathon race since 1946; the Chuncheon Marathon is held every October. In winter, snow and ice festivals are organized. Currently, MAC Architects-Consultants Group Ltd. (명승건축그룹) is building the Design and Arts Arcadia of Myungseung in Chuncheon.

According to the legend surrounding Cheongpyeongsa temple in Chuncheon-si, a man loved a princess so much that he became a snake and would not leave her alone. When she begged leave to collect rice from the temple, the snake let her go but then went looking for her, only to be struck dead by lightning. The princess then buried him at the temple.

Food The city was historically known as a chicken farming region, and is famous for "dak galbi", which translates as chicken ribs. It consists of chicken, sliced cabbage, sweet potatoes, tteok (rice cakes), and scallions, mixed with a spicy sauce heavy on gochujang. It is usually cooked in a big iron pan in the centre of the table, but the original method is over charcoal. Despite the name, the dish is traditionally made from leg meat, not ribs. There is even a street in the city dedicated to restaurants serving the dish, with some 25 restaurants populating the area.

Also, the regional specialty Makguksu noodles are famed throughout the country.

Cultural festival Gim Yujeong munhakje is a literature festival that takes place in April every year in memorial of the novelist Gim Yujeong. Uiam jae is another festival in April in which people worship Nongae who sacrificed herself for the country. In May, the Chuncheon International Mime Festival gathers troupes from places including Denmark, Taiwan, Germany etc., to give theatre and dance performance. Chuncheon art festival in July provides performers with opportunities to show off their talents and skills. Chuncheon International Early Music Festival also takes place in July with a wide range of classical traditional music of Korea. Chuncheon Puppet Festival showcases traditional puppet shows every August while traditional theatre plays are performed on Chuncheon International Theatre Festival in September Chuncheon International AniTown Festival in September is a free event that enables participants to learn more about animation production.

Local festivals In August, visitors can enjoy traditional Chuncheon cuisines like Dak-galbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) and Mak-guksu (buckwheat noodles) during the Chuncheon Dakgalbi & Makguksu Festival. The Soyang festival, which takes place in September, promotes the cultural history of the Soyang Dam.

Leisure sports festival There are three marathons in Chuncheon every year. The National inlineskate Chuncheon Marathon takes place in April while The Chosun Ilbo Chuncheon Marathon and the Lakeside Chuncheon Marathon Festival are both held in October. People participates in Chuncheon Open International Taekwondo Championships in June to compete for championship in the Korean martial arts Taekwondo. Gangchon national MTB Challenge Competition September is a mountain bike racing festival.

Legoland Korea Resort Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon covers 280,000 square meters, making it the 2nd largest in Asia behind Legoland Malaysia Resort.

Economy Chuncheon is the market centre for agricultural produce from the surrounding area. The main products are rice and soybeans. Since the 1960s light industry has become dominant in the city. After the huge success of the TV drama Winter Sonata, the city has also become a major "Korean Wave" (Han-ryu, 한류) tourist destination, attracting visitors from around East Asia.

Legoland Korea is also under construction in Chuncheon. The first Legoland in Northeast Asia, it will be built in a 1.29 square kilometer parcel of land in Jungdo island and is expected to draw over a million tourists when it opens. It will be the largest Legoland in the world.

There are hydroelectric powerplants in the area around Chuncheon. The Soyang Dam is the largest sand gravel dam in East Asia.

National Universities • Kangwon National University • Chuncheon National University of Education • Korea National Open University Gangwon Campus • Korea Polytechnic 3 University

Private Universities • Hallym University • Hallym Sungsim University • Songgok College.

Transport As of June 2014, there are two train stations in the Chuncheon suburban area: the terminus of the Gyeongchun Line, Chuncheon station, and the busier Namchuncheon station. Gimyujeong, Baegyang-ri, Gulbongsan, and Gangchon stations, all located in rural Chuncheon, attract tourists. Gangchon is one of the most favorite recreational destinations for university students. The Gyeongchun Line is a double track rapid transit commuter train that connects to Yongsan, Cheongnyangni and Sangbong stations in Seoul. On 21 December 2010, a new realignment of the Gyeongchun Line was opened, and several new or transferable stations have since been opened to replace the existing stations outside Chuncheon, such as Cheonmasan, Sinnae, and Byeollae.

There is the Gyeongchun Line subway in Chuncheon. If you use the Gyeongchun Line, you can get to Chuncheon in an hour and a half from Seoul.

Chuncheon is the northern terminus of the publicly funded Jungang Expressway, and the main destination of the privately run Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway, as also known as Gyeongchun Expressway that connects to Seoul and Hongcheon-east. As of 2017, the expressway has been extended to east coast city of Yangyang, thus renamed to Seoul-Yangyang Expressway. Chuncheon Bus Terminal connects to all major cities in mainland South Korea.

On National roads-wise, Chuncheon is also the main strategic destination that connects between Changwon to Cheolwon of Route (Number) 5, Incheon to Goseong of 46, and Cheolwon to Yangyang of 56.

There are also river transport facilities in Soyangho (Lake Soyang), which connects to Cheongpyeongsa (청평사, Buddhist) temple.

Sport • Chuncheon Songam Sports Town

International competitions High1 (하이원) is an ice hockey team based in Chuncheon. The club was a member of the Asia League Ice Hockey between 2005 and 2019.

Domestic competitions Chuncheon's association football club, Chuncheon FC, is a member of the K4 League, a semi-professional football competition and the fourth tier of the South Korean football league system. The club was founded on 27 February 2010 with its home at the Chuncheon Stadium.