Prepare for your trip to Gangneung
There are no boundaries between nature and the city.
Gangneung’s morning, day and nighttime flow alongside nature.
People promenade through the forest trails, filled with the scent of pine, and organize their thoughts in quiet and peace.
They dive into the blue waves of the sea in the afternoon, and watch the sun fall beyond the horizon at night and rise again to announce a new day.
The people of Gangneung know how to appreciate a good cup of coffee.
Gangneung is a place of romance and calm, where you can enjoy nature and coffee.
Amidst the splendid natural environment, with a clean sea and densely green mountains, Hong Gildong jeon (The Story of Hong Gildong), the first novel to be written in Hangeul, was born, and the history of writer Shin Saimdang began.
Heo Gyun, who authored Hong Gildong jeon, and Heo Nanseolheon, a famous poet of the Joseon Dynasty, were both born in the present-day Gangneung, which was also the birthplace of numerous female artists who were well-versed in literature and the arts.
Gangneung is now emerging as the Mecca of Coffee in Korea, and inspiring artists with its unique tranquility and the peaceful voids.
Most of the local dishes of Gangneung are made with seafood, due to its geographic characteristics, and locally grown potatoes and vegetables.
The fresh ingredients from the high-altitude regions with clear and cool weather and the clean and blue sea present a unique flavor that the dishes are known for. In Gangneung, you can find a number of special tofu dishes.
Soybeans are ground using a millstone and then filtered with a hemp cloth.
The filtrate is then boiled in an iron pot to make chodubu or removed of excess moisture to make modubu.
There are numerous tofu dishes that are made with these types of tofu, and they are known for being nutritious, tasty and soft.
Gangneung has been blessed with beautiful nature.
And the gratitude for this blessing has begotten the local culture and festivals.
For instance, on New Year’s Day, people from across the country visit Gangneung to watch the sun rise above the horizon.
They make a wish toward the sun, as it rises through the boundary between the sky and the sea.
Regions with splendid natural scenery tend to have notable folk religions and cultures with a long history.
Gangneung, for example, has been hosting Danoje Festival for a thousand years.
At the festival, a rituals is performed to bring humans closer to the gods, and programs providing insight into the well-preserved folk religions are organized as a way to demonstrate the history of Korea.
There are also modern festivals in Gangneung such as a cherry blossom festival and a coffee festival.