Cheorwon County (''Cheorwon-gun'' ), also spelled Chorwon, is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in Gangwon Province,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. It is located right next to the

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n border.

History

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

– first named ''Moeuldongbi''. *

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

dynasty – name changed to ''Cheolseong''. **During the Later Three Kingdoms period of Korea,

Gung Ye Kung Ye (; – 24 July 918) was the king of the short-lived state of Taebong (901–918), one of the Later Three Kingdoms of Korea. Kung Ye is alleged to have been a son of either King Heonan of Silla or Gyeongmun of Silla, though the accurac ...

determined it capital of

Taebong Taebong (; ) was a state established by Kung Ye () on the Korean Peninsula in 901 during the Later Three Kingdoms. Name The state's initial name was Goryeo, after the official name of Goguryeo, a previous state in Manchuria and the northern ...

. *

Goryeo dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

**In 918, during the rule of

King Taejo of Goryeo Taejo (; 31 January 877 – 4 July 943), personal name Wang Kŏn (), also known as Taejo Wang Kŏn (), was the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. He ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three Kingdoms in 936. Background ...

, its name was changed to Cheorwon and then renamed as ''Dongju''. *

Joseon dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

** King Taejong changed its name into 'Dohobu'. **In 26th year of

King Sejong Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

's reign (1434), it was transferred from

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous administrative divisions of South Korea, province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a list of provinc ...

to Gangwon. **On May 26 of the King Gojong, altered to

Chuncheon Chuncheon (; ; literally ''spring river''), formerly romanized as Ch'unch'ŏn, is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the north of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River (Korea), Han R ...

-bu.

Korean War

Following the

Division of Korea The division of Korea began at the end of World War II on 2 September 1945, with the establishment of a Soviet occupation zone and a US occupation zone. These zones developed into separate governments, named the Democratic People's Republic of ...

in 1945, all of Cheorwon County was part of North Korea. During the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

the region changed hands several times during the UN invasion of North Korea and the Chinese invasion of South Korea, by 1951 the frontlines had stabilized, cutting across Cheorwon County and the area became part of the Iron Triangle. The Battle of Arrowhead Hill took place north of Cheorwon town from 6 to 10 October 1952 and the

Battle of White Horse Hill The Battle of White Horse Hill (, )took place during the Korean War. White Horse Hill (Hill 395) in the Iron Triangle, formed by Pyonggang at its peak and Gimhwa-eup and Cheorwon-eup at its base, a strategic transportation route in the central ...

took place north of Cheorwon town from 6 to 15 October 1952. The

Battle of Triangle Hill The Battle of Triangle Hill, also known as Operation Showdown or the Shangganling Campaign (),Chinese sources often mistranslates Shangganling Campaign as the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. was a protracted military engagement during the Korea ...

took place north of Gimhwa-eup from 14 October to 25 November 1952. Following the signing of the

Korean Armistice Agreement The Korean Armistice Agreement (; zh, t=韓國停戰協定 / 朝鮮停戰協定) is an armistice that brought about a cessation of hostilities of the Korean War. It was signed by United States Army Lieutenant General William Kelly Harrison Jr ...

, the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone () is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korea, Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It wa ...

divided Cheorwon County in two, creating Cheorwon County in South Korea and

Chorwon County Ch'ŏrwŏn County () is a ''kun'', or county, in Kangwŏn province, North Korea. Portions of it were once a single county together with the county of the same name in South Korea; other portions were added from neighbouring counties in the 19 ...

in North Korea, respectively. Several Korean War sites in Cheorwon County are now tourist destinations including the former

Woljeong-ri station Woljeong-ri station is a closed railway station on the Gyeongwon Line in South Korea. It was closed by the Korean War. It is a noted place in the Korean Demilitarized Zone. History ''Woljeong-ri station'' is a historical building in the Demili ...

, the former Korean Workers’ Party Office, the Iron Triangle Tourist Office, the Second Incursion Tunnel and the Cheorwon Peace Observatory.

Civilian Control Line (CCL)

The Civilian Control Line is an additional buffer zone to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The distance between the DMZ and CCL in South Korea ranges from . The purpose is to limit and control the entrance of civilians into areas to protect and maintain the security of military facilities and operations near the DMZ.

Tourism

For South Korea, tourism has been important since the 1962 Five Year Development Plan. This designated a key economic development sector and a 'patriotic industry' (Hunter, 153). Historically nationalistic or patriotic perspectives have driven for the development of tourism in South Korea. Well organized tours and defined monuments and sites ensure these bordering areas are populated with visitors that participate in the symbolic landscape promoted by the South Korean government (Hunter, 153). Described as "a scene of bloody battles" (n.d) and an area of tense border activity, the front-line county of Cheorwon presents a paradox. This historical county is infrequently visited by Western tourists. To understand the historical context of the Korean War, Cheorwon County offers significant insight into the conflict between North and South Korea.

The Second Tunnel

"Found in the DMZ" (n.d) was found by Korean guards listening to the sound of explosions under the ground during their shift. After determined excavation on March 19, 1975, "The Second Tunnel" was discovered. The second tunnel was for a sudden raid by the North Korean Army into South Korea. The second tunnel is composed of a firm granitic layer, is in length, and various in depth from .

Cheorwon Peace Observatory

"Cheorwon Peace Observatory" (n.d) is located at Junggang-ri, Dongsong-eup, South Korea. The Observatory is three stories high with a basement and was opened in November 2007. The observatory's first floor is the exhibition hall and the second floor is an observatory. Tourists on the second floor can observe the surrounding ecosystem, fortress of Gung-Ye Cast town, Pyeonggang tableland, and Seonjeon town of North Korea in the DMZ.

Memorial Tower of the Baekma Goji (White Horse) Battle

During ten days of battle, the hill would change hands 24 times after repeated attacks and counterattacks for its possession. The original shape of the hill was transformed from more than 300,000 artillery shells and bombs. The destroyed ridge looked like a white horse lying down, so it was named Baekma Goji, meaning white horse hill.

Victory Observatory

"At the center of the 155 miles" (n.d) of the cease-fire line is the Victory Observatory. While visiting the Victory Observatory tourists can stare at Soldiers from the North Korean army, and the actual sites of the national division such as Geumgansan Railroad, Gwangasm Plain, and Achim-ri town.

Symbols

* County tree: Korean Nut Pine * County flower:

Royal Azalea ''Rhododendron schlippenbachii'', the royal azalea, is a species of ''Rhododendron'' native to the Korean Peninsula and adjacent regions of Northeast China, Japan, and the Russian Far East. It is the dominant understory shrub in many Korean hill ...

* County bird: Crane

Location

Cheorwon plays an important role in providing passage from

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

Wonsan Wonsan (), previously known as Wonsanjin (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwon Province (North Korea), Kangwon Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

and

Kumgangsan Mount Kumgang () or the Kumgang Mountains is a mountain massif, with a peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province, and is part of the ...

. Since the expansion of the 43 National Road which connects Cheorwon and Seoul, the ease of transportation has been improved greatly.

Climate

Cheorwon has a monsoon-influenced

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dwa'').

Sister cities

Gangnam-gu Gangnam District (; ) is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The term ''Gangnam'' translates to "South of the Han River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . As of the 2024 census, Gangna ...

Seogwipo Seogwipo (; ) is the second-largest Administrative divisions of South Korea, city on Jeju Island, settled on a rocky volcanic coastline in the southern part of Jeju Province, South Korea. In July 2006, Seogwipo's boundaries were expanded to inclu ...

, Jeju-do

References

Notes Sources
Cheorwon Peace Observatory
(n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2018
Cheorwon: Frontline Tourism
(November 5, 2015). Retrieved December 7, 2018 *Hunter, W. C. (2013). The Visual Representation of Border Tourism: Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Dokdo in South Korea. ''International Journal of Tourism Research,17''(2), 151–160. doi:10.1002/jtr.1973
Memorial Tower of the Baeckma Goji Battle
(n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2018
The Second Tunnel
(n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2018
Victory Observatory
(n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2018

External links

Cheorwon county government home page
{{coord, 38, 12, 33, N, 127, 13, 03, E, region:KR-42_type:city(54040)_source:dewiki, display=title Counties of Gangwon Province, South Korea Biosphere reserves of South Korea