Wonju (; ) is the most populous

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Gangwon Province, South Korea Gangwon Province (), officially Gangwon State (), is a administrative divisions of South Korea, Special Self-Governing Province of South Korea. It is known as the largest and population density, least densely populated subdivision of South Korea. ...

, with a population of 364,860 as of 2023. The city is located approximately east of

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 ...

History

During the time of Great Joseon, Wonju was the capital of the historic Gangwon Province, one of the

Eight Provinces of Korea During most of the Joseon dynasty, Korea was divided into eight provinces ('' do''; ). The eight provinces' boundaries remained unchanged for about 480 years from 1413 to 1895, and formed a geographic paradigm that is still reflected today i ...

Korean War

Wonju was the site of the first ever massacres conducted by the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 365,0 ...

against suspected communists that occurred on 30 June 1950. On 2 July of the same year, the Korean People's Army attacked Wonju before capturing it on 7 July. Throughout the Korean War, Wonju was the site of three crucial battles.

Geography

Wonju sits at the southwestern corner of Gangwon Province, bordering

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous 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 provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

to the west and

North Chungcheong Province North Chungcheong Province (), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region on the south-centre of the Korean Peninsula. No ...

to the south. Within Gangwon, Wonju borders

Yeongwol County Yeongwol County () is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea. In Korea, it is known as the place where King Danjong, the sixth king of the Joseon Dynasty, was exiled when he was forced to abdicate by his uncle, who became Sejo of Joseon. It is ...

to the east and

Hoengseong County Hoengseong County () is a county located in southwestern Gangwon Province, South Korea, bordering Pyeongchang County to the east, Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province to the west, Hongcheon County to the north, and the city of Wonju and Yeongwol ...

to the north. Unlike much of Gangwon Province, Wonju is not a mountainous area, but rather a basin along the wide plain created by the

Seom River Seom River () is a river of South Korea. It is a river of the Han River system. References Rivers of South Korea {{SouthKorea-river-stub ...

Administrative divisions

Wonju is divided into 1 eup (town), 8 myeon (townships), and 16 dong (neighborhoods).

Transportation

* * *

Manjong station Manjong station, is a railway station in Hojeo-myeon, Wonju Wonju (; ) is the most populous Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with a population of 364,860 as of 2023. The city is located approxim ...

* Wonju station *

Seowonju station Seowonju station, is a railway station in Jijeong-myeon, Wonju, South Korea. It is served by the Gangneung Line and Jungang Line. The station belongs to Jungang Line opened on 25 September 2012. The Gangneung Line opened on December 22, 2017, a ...

Wonju Airport Wonju Airport is an airport in Hoengseong County, Gangwon, South Korea. During the Korean War it was designated K-46 (Hoengseong Air Base) by the United States Air Force. In 2011, 70,943 passengers used the airport, which is mainly for milita ...

Education

* Gangneung-Wonju National University *

Halla University Halla University () is a private university located in Wonju, Gangwon Province, South Korea Gangwon Province (), officially Gangwon State (), is a administrative divisions of South Korea, Special Self-Governing Province of South Korea. It is k ...

Sangji University Sangji University () is a private university located in Wonju, Gangwon Province, South Korea. Established in 1955, it has seven colleges and six graduate schools. Its top areas of study are Oriental Medicine (one of only 11 in the country) and T ...

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

( Mirae Campus) * Kyungdong University There is one international school: Wonju Chinese Primary School (). According to data released by Wonju City Hall in 2015, the number of kindergartens located in Wonju was 71. There are 48 elementary and 22 middle schools, respectively. In the case of high schools, there are 15 general high schools, 2 special purpose high schools, and 3 specialized high schools, a total of 20.

Culture

A Rail Park has been built on the disused rail tracks connecting the stations of Pandae and Ganhyeon, for a total of . The total ride journey is about 40 minutes, offering scenic views of the surrounding mountains while cycling. Wonju rail

The

Roman Catholic Diocese of Wonju The Catholic Diocese of Wonju () is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in located in Wonju, South Korea. It is a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Seoul. History On 22 March 1965, Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Wonju. Ch ...

is based in Wonju.

Museums

*Mureung Museum *Yonsei University Wonju Museum *Museum yetchaek towns *Wonju City Museum *Chiak Folk Museum *Myeongjusa Chiaksan and Engraving Museum *Toji Literature park *Toji Cultural Center *Hanji museum *On Museum of the Arts *Museum San

Libraries

* Wonju City Library * Taejang Library * Jungcheon Philosophical Library * Wonju Education and Culture Center * Munmak Library

Climate

The climate of Wonju is a hot-Summer, 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'', Trewartha: ''Dcao'').

Sports

Wonju is home city of the

Wonju DB Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of b ...

, playing in the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

. Their home arena is Wonju Gymnasium, which is located in Myeongnyun il-dong, Wonju. The team has won the Championship three times (2002–03, 2004–05, and 2007–08).

Sister cities

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...

, United States *

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Alberta, Canada *

Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao ...

, Shandong, China *

Hefei Hefei is the Capital city, capital of Anhui, China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census. Its built-up (or ''metro'') area is made up of four u ...

, Anhui, China *

Ichikawa, Chiba file:Ichikawashiyakusyo.jpg, 240px, Ichikawa City Hall is a city in western Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 492,749 in 256,229 households and a population density of 8577 persons per km2. The total area of the ci ...

, Japan *

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland

Notable people from Wonju

* Kim Seon-dong (), South Korean politician and Secretary-General of the United Future Party (UFP) * Jee Yong-ju (), South Korean

amateur boxer An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

* Kim Jae-woong (), South Korean

football midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

* Kim Ji-woong (), South Korean

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

* Jang Mi-ran (), South Korean

weightlifter Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...

* Yoon Jin-hee (), South Korean

Heechul Kim Hee-chul (; born July 10, 1983), better known mononymously as Heechul, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter, and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Super Junior and has further participated in its subgroup Su ...

(Real Name: ''Kim Hee-chul'', ), singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actor, speaker, MC and

K-pop idol An idol () is a type of entertainer who works in the field of Korean popular music (K-pop), either as a member of a group or as a solo act. They typically work for an entertainment agency that operates a highly managed star system that idols ar ...

, member of

K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...

boy group

Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band. The group is composed of Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun. Han Geng, Kibum, and ...

, member of the project groups Universe Cowards * Kim Do-yeon (), actress and former member of disbanded

girl group project

I.O.I I.O.I (; also known as IOI or Ideal of Idol) was a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2016 reality show ''Produce 101'' on Mnet. The group was composed of eleven members chosen from a pool of 101 trainees from various entertai ...

girl group

Weki Meki Weki Meki (; abbreviated as WEME or WKMK) was a South Korean girl group formed by Fantagio in 2017. The group consisted of eight members: Suyeon, Elly, Yoojung, Doyeon, Sei, Lua, Rina, and Lucy. During the group's career, they released five ...

's lead vocalist and visual *

Yoon Ji-sung Yoon Ji-sung (; born March 8, 1991) is a South Korean singer and actor. He is best known for finishing eighth in the second series of ''Produce 101 Season 2, Produce 101'' and is the former leader of South Korean boy group Wanna One. Following ...

, South Korean singer and actor, former member of disbanded K-pop boy group project

Wanna One Wanna One () was a South Korean boy band formed by CJ E&M through the second season of '' Produce 101''. The group was composed of eleven members: Kang Daniel, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Dae-hwi, Kim Jae-hwan, Ong Seong-wu, Park Woo-jin, Lai Kuan-li ...

* Sojung (Real Name: ''Lee So-jung'', ), singer, dancer, model and

, member of

girlgroup Ladies' Code *

Joo Won Ahn Joo Won Ahn (born 1993) is a South Korean ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Ahn was born in Wonju. He trained at the Y.J. Ballet People Academy and Sunhwa Arts School, then entered the Korea Nat ...

(), South Korean ballet dancer *

Ahn Young-mi Ahn Young-mi (, born November 5, 1983), is a South Korean comedian. She made her debut in KBS' ''Gag Concert'' 19th class in 2004 and is best known for her provocative wit. In 2018, she joined the comedy-girl group Celeb Five. Young-mi is also k ...

(), South Korean comedian and member of

girl group Celeb Five *

Choi Kyu-hah Choi Kyu-hah (, ; July 16, 1919 – October 22, 2006) was a South Korean politician who served as the fourth president of South Korea from 1979 to 1980. An independent politician, he served as the prime minister under President Park Chung He ...

(), South Korean politician and former

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of South Korea, government and is ...

* Chai-Sik Chung (),

Korean-American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...

social

ethicist Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied ethics ...

and

sociologist of religion Sociology of religion is the study of the beliefs, practices and organizational forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. This objective investigation may include the use both of Quantitative research, quantit ...

* Ham Deok-ju (), South Korean

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

(

Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and play their home game ...

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) * Han Dong-jin (), South Korean

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

(

Jeju United FC Jeju SK FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeju Province that competes in the K League 1, the top division in South Korea. In the past, the club has been known as the Yukong Elephants, Bucheon SK, and Jeju United. Hist ...

K League 2 The K League 2 () is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs and operates on a promotion and relegation system with K League 1. History In 2011, the or ...

) * Shin Yu-na (), member of

girl group

ITZY Itzy (; Japanese language, Japanese: イッチ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Yeji (singer), Yeji, Lia (South Korean singer), Lia, Ryujin (rapper), Ryujin, Chae ...

* Park Sungho (), member of

boy group

BoyNextDoor BoyNextDoor (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KOZ Entertainment in 2023. The group consists of six members: Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan, and Woonhak. Characterized by its eponymous 'wikt:boy next door, boy ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* .

External links

*
Wonju city government home page

Wonju city government home page
{{Authority control
힐스테이트 원주 레스티지
Cities in Gangwon Province, South Korea