Gangneung, Creative City of Gastronomy
What is a UNESCO
Creative City?
2004
Launch of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is an international network of cities around the world that work together to achieve sustainable urban development, with culture, the arts, and creativity as their core driving force.
The UCCN was launched in 2004 as part of the Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity. Through a review process, it selects cities from around the world that have contributed to the development of human culture through outstanding creativity in eight creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, Music, and Architecture.
The network works to promote cultural diversity by fostering cultural industries rooted in each city’s cultural assets and creativity, while encouraging economic, social, and cultural development through cooperation among cities.
Eight Creative Fields
- Crafts and Folk Art
- Design
- Film
- Gastronomy
- Literature
- Media Arts
- Music
- Architecture
Background and Path to Designation
Blessed with mountains, the sea, and pristine natural surroundings, Gangneung has developed a distinctive local food culture shaped by two long-standing traditions: the lavish hanjeongsik (traditional Korean set meal) of the old upper class, and the “rustic fare” cooked by the people of its mountain and fishing villages. Building on its roots as a city of tea culture, Gangneung has also sought to forge a new identity as a “coffee city,” developing its capacity as a Creative City along the way.
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2020.12
In December 2020, Gangneung began a range of preparations, starting with its application to the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU) for domestic preliminary-city status, the first step toward joining the network. It went on to promote Gangneung as a city of gastronomy to the world, enacting a municipal ordinance to support its UNESCO Creative City initiative and forming a committee to advance its bid to become a Creative City of Gastronomy.
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2021–2022
In January 2021, Gangneung was accepted as a domestic preliminary member city, and in 2022 it was selected as Korea’s nominee in the field of Gastronomy in the KNCU’s review of candidate cities for UCCN membership.
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2023.10
Membership approved in the field of GastronomyGangneung did its utmost to make its strengths as a city of gastronomy known, discovering and nurturing its own food resources, cooperating with organizations at every level, and engaging in exchanges with member cities of the network. These efforts paid off in October 2023, when Gangneung was finally approved to join the UCCN in the field of Gastronomy. Gangneung’s strengths were seen to lie in its role as a hub for tourism and culture on Korea’s east coast, where creative change in the food industry and the growth of diverse food-related businesses combine to support sustainable urban development for future generations. The city also won praise for its citizen participation and active exchanges with other cities, both of which UNESCO emphasizes.
Creative Cities in Korea and Around the World
- Countries
- 100+
- Cities
- 408
- Cities in Korea
- 13
As of 2026
Beginning with Edinburgh, Scotland (Literature) in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network has grown to 408 cities in more than 100 countries worldwide (as of 2026). In Korea, 13 cities are active as Creative Cities: Gangneung, designated a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2023, along with Seoul (Design), Icheon (Crafts and Folk Art), Jeonju (Gastronomy), Gwangju (Media Arts), Busan (Film), Tongyeong (Music), Bucheon (Literature), Daegu (Music), Wonju (Literature), Jinju (Crafts and Folk Art), Gimhae (Crafts and Folk Art), and Cheongju (Crafts and Folk Art).
