Cheorwon County

Cheorwon
County
Panoramic view of Galmal-eup
Panoramic view of Galmal-eup
Flag of Cheorwon
Flag
Official logo of Cheorwon
Emblem of Cheorwon
Location in South Korea
Location in South Korea
Country South Korea
State Gangwon
Administrative divisions4 eup, 3 myeon
Area
 • Total
899.82 km2 (347.42 sq mi)
Population
 (September 2024)
 • Total
40,646
 • Density60.05/km2 (155.5/sq mi)
Korean name
Hangul
철원군
Hanja
鐵原郡
RRCheorwon-gun
MRCh'ŏrwŏn-gun

Cheorwon County (Korean: 철원군; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰʌɾwʌnɡun]), also spelled Chorwon, is a county in the state of Gangwon, South Korea. It is located right next to the North Korean border.

History

Korean War

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

During the Korean War 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 took place north of Cheorwon town from 6 to 15 October 1952. The Battle of Triangle Hill took place north of Gimhwa-eup from 14 October to 25 November 1952.

Following the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) divided Cheorwon County in two, creating Cheorwon County in South Korea and Chorwon County in North Korea, respectively.

Several Korean War sites in Cheorwon County are now tourist destinations including the former Woljeong-ri station, 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 DMZ. The distance between the DMZ and CCL in South Korea ranges from 5 to 20 km (3.1 to 12.4 mi). 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

The tunnel was detected by South Korean guards who heard explosions underground during their shift. After excavation on March 19, 1975, the second infiltration tunnel was discovered. The tunnel was intended for a sudden raid by the North Korean Army into South Korea. The second tunnel is composed of a firm granitic layer, is 3.5 km (2.2 mi) in length, and varies in depth from 50–160 m (160–520 ft).

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.

Seungni (Victory Observatory)

The Seungni Observatory is located on Cheonbulsan Mountain, near the midpoint of the DMZ. From the observatory tourists can view North Korean Army soldiers, and the actual sites of the national division such as Geumgansan Railroad, Gwangasm Plain, and Achim-ri town.

Symbols

Location

Cheorwon plays an important role in providing passage from Seoul to Wonsan and Kumgangsan.

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 (Köppen: Dwa).

Climate data for Cheorwon (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1988–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.1
(55.6)		 17.5
(63.5)		 22.4
(72.3)		 29.8
(85.6)		 32.5
(90.5)		 34.0
(93.2)		 36.0
(96.8)		 38.4
(101.1)		 33.7
(92.7)		 29.0
(84.2)		 24.0
(75.2)		 14.5
(58.1)		 38.4
(101.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 0.7
(33.3)		 4.1
(39.4)		 10.2
(50.4)		 17.5
(63.5)		 22.9
(73.2)		 26.7
(80.1)		 28.1
(82.6)		 28.9
(84.0)		 25.0
(77.0)		 19.1
(66.4)		 10.5
(50.9)		 2.7
(36.9)		 16.4
(61.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −5.7
(21.7)		 −2.3
(27.9)		 3.7
(38.7)		 10.5
(50.9)		 16.6
(61.9)		 21.1
(70.0)		 23.8
(74.8)		 24.0
(75.2)		 18.9
(66.0)		 11.8
(53.2)		 4.3
(39.7)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 10.3
(50.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −11.8
(10.8)		 −8.6
(16.5)		 −2.6
(27.3)		 3.4
(38.1)		 10.4
(50.7)		 16.1
(61.0)		 20.2
(68.4)		 20.1
(68.2)		 13.6
(56.5)		 5.5
(41.9)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 −8.6
(16.5)		 4.7
(40.5)
Record low °C (°F) −29.2
(−20.6)		 −24.6
(−12.3)		 −13.4
(7.9)		 −8.2
(17.2)		 0.9
(33.6)		 6.1
(43.0)		 11.3
(52.3)		 8.8
(47.8)		 3.5
(38.3)		 −6.3
(20.7)		 −13.8
(7.2)		 −22.2
(−8.0)		 −29.2
(−20.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 18.2
(0.72)		 26.3
(1.04)		 30.8
(1.21)		 69.0
(2.72)		 102.4
(4.03)		 119.0
(4.69)		 400.0
(15.75)		 347.4
(13.68)		 121.2
(4.77)		 49.9
(1.96)		 48.1
(1.89)		 22.1
(0.87)		 1,354.4
(53.32)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 6.3 6.0 7.3 8.1 9.1 10.9 16.6 14.3 8.4 6.6 8.1 7.5 109.2
Average snowy days 9.2 6.2 4.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.3 7.3 29.7
Average relative humidity (%) 67.1 63.1 60.5 58.3 64.4 71.4 81.3 81.4 76.9 72.9 71.6 70.0 69.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 173.3 176.0 196.5 203.7 224.5 198.7 141.9 170.0 187.0 200.6 152.3 159.0 2,183.5
Percentage possible sunshine 52.9 54.7 48.2 49.5 47.1 40.2 28.5 39.1 47.8 53.4 48.6 50.4 46.0
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (percent sunshine and snowy days 1981–2010)

Sister cities

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Population statistics". Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety. 2024. Archived from the original on 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  2. ↑ "Land of future! Dream of a thousand years!". 18 February 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ "PLZ (Peace & Life Zone) Section 4 Cherwon". Korea Tourism Organization. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  4. ↑ Welcome to Cheorwon county! ::[permanent dead link]
  5. ↑ "Climatological Normals of Korea (1991 ~ 2020)" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. pp. II-11, II-12, II-441. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  6. ↑ 순위값 - 구역별조회 (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "Climatological Normals of Korea" (PDF). Korea Meteorological Administration. 2011. p. 499 and 649. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  8. ↑ [서귀포시] 불편을 드려 죄송합니다.. www.seogwipo.go.kr. Archived from the original on 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2008-01-25.

Sources

38°12′33″N 127°13′03″E / 38.20917°N 127.21750°E / 38.20917; 127.21750