Jeongseon (''Jeongseon-gun'') is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the province of Gangwon-do,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. It is famous as the hometown of "Jeongseon

Arirang "Arirang" (; ) is a Korean folk song. There are about 3,600 variations of 60 different versions of the song, all of which include a refrain similar to "''Arirang, arirang, arariyo'' ()". It is estimated the song is more than 600 years old. ...

," a traditional Korean folksong. It is also the hometown of actor

Won Bin Kim Do-jin (born on November 10, 1977), professionally known as Won Bin, is a South Korean actor. He first gained wide popularity in 2000 after starring in the KBS's television series '' Autumn in My Heart''. One of the most selective actors in ...

and footballer

Seol Ki-hyeon Seol Ki-hyeon (born 8 January 1979) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a winger, and who currently is the manager of Gyeongnam FC. He is also the first South Korean footballer to score in the history of the UEFA C ...

History

It was ruled by the

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

Dynasty during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period, called Ingpyae-hyeon (잉패현). After the

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...

Dynasty unified the

Korean peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, it was renamed Jeongseon-hyeon in 757. After the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

Dynasy was founded, it was promoted from a ''

hyeon Korea's provinces ('' Do''; hangul: 도; hanja: ) have been the primary administrative division of Korea since the mid Goryeo dynasty in the early 11th century, and were preceded by provincial-level divisions (''Ju'' and ''Mok'') dating back to U ...

'' to a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

(''gun'') in 1012 or 1018. After the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

Dynasty was founded and the territory was divided into 8 Provinces, the region was involved in the province of

Gangwon Gangwon or Kangwŏn may refer to: * Gangwon Province (historical), the Goryeo, Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese Korean province * Gangwon Province (South Korea), a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Kore ...

. After the territory was divided into 23 districts in 1895 with the 8-provincial system abolished, it was included in the district of Chugju. When a 13-provincial system was enacted in 1896, it returned to Gangwon Province.

Administrative divisions

Towns (eup)

Gohan-eup Gohan-eup ( ko, 고한읍) is a town in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, South Korea, and the county seat of the county of Jeongseon. The town has a surface area of 52.32 km2 (20.2 mi2) and a population of 9,940. It is located in th ...

Jeongseon-eup Jeongseon-eup ( ko, 정선읍) is a town in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It is famous for the three day "Jeongseon Arirang Festival," held every fall. Jeongseon is also famous for its 5 Day Market (5일장) which offers up a ...

Sabuk-eup Sabuk-eup (사북읍) is a town in Jeongseon Jeongseon (''Jeongseon-gun'') is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea. It is famous as the hometown of "Jeongseon Arirang," a traditional Korean folksong. It is also the hometown of a ...

Sindong-eup Sindong-eup (신동읍) is a town in Jeongseon Jeongseon (''Jeongseon-gun'') is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea. It is famous as the hometown of "Jeongseon Arirang," a traditional Korean folksong. It is also the hometown of ...

Townships (myeon)

* Yeoryang-myeon * Bukpyeong-myeon * Hwaam-myeon * Imgye-myeon * Nam-myeon

Geography

A lot of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

is buried in the strata formed during the

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

Era in this region. A

Karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

zone formed from the dissolution of the limestone is located, and many of

solutional cave A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in the soluble rock limestone. It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum. ...

s are found. Natural monuments shaped from the limestone are as follows. * Baekbongryeong

zone: Karst zone in baekbongryeong zone is known to be academically useful because karst is located in small area. It was designated Natural Monuments of South Korea number 440 on April 9, 2004. * Jeongseon coral cave: few stony corals are growing in the cave, and there is big coral which is not found elsewhere. Designated as natural monuments number 509 on December 15, 2009.

Climate

Culture and tourism

Cultural heritages

There are one

treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

, 6

natural monuments Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...

, 1 important folklore cultural heritage in Jeongseon. Province designated 3 tangible cultural heritages, 1 intangible cultural heritage, 5 monuments, 2 folklore heritages.

Temple

* Jeongamsa Temple : Founded by

Jajang Jajang (590–658) was a monk born Kim Seonjong, into the royal Kim family, in the kingdom of Silla. He is credited with founding the temple of Tongdosa in 646 CE, near in what is now Busan, South Korea, and played a significant role in the ...

, also known as "Galaesa". As Sumano Pagoda stores

buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

Śarīra Śarīra is a generic term referring to Buddhist relics, although in common usage it usually refers to pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects that are purportedly found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters. Relics of the Bu ...

, there is no

Buddharupa Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in ...

. * Sumano Pagoda in Jeongamsa Temple: Pagoda in Jeongamsa Temple. Stones are sharpen like a brick. Designated as Treasure number 410. It is assumed that it was constructured during the

Dynasty, considering other heritages found in the Jeongam temple. Records indicate it was repaired in 1653.

Natural Heritages

Brachymystax lenok ''Brachymystax lenok'', the sharp-snouted lenok,Kartavtseva, I.V.; Ginatulina, L.K.; Nemkova, G.A.; and Shedko, S.V. (2013). ''Chromosomal study of the lenoks, Brachymystax (Salmoniformes, Salmonidae) from the South of the Russian Far East.'' Jou ...

habitat: Korean Peninsula is in the southern limit of Brachymystax lenok habitat, thus academic importance is recognized and habitat is registered as natural monuments of South Korea on December 7, 1962. * Banronsan

Rhododendron schlippenbachii ''Rhododendron schlippenbachii'', the royal azalea, is a species of ''Rhododendron'' native to the Korean Peninsula and adjacent regions of Manchuria (Liaoning, Nei Mongol), Japan, and the Russian Far East. It is the dominant understory shrub in ...

and

Chwinamul ''Doellingeria scabra'' is a perennial herb of the family Asteraceae from Eurasia. It is frequently found in wild mountain regions of Korea, eastern Russia, China, and Japan. Distribution ''Doellingeria scabra'' is native to Eurasia. It is act ...

habitat: Banronsan's rhododendron schlippenbachii is the biggest in South Korea's known rhododendron schlippenbachii, and Chwinamul is protected because it is locally grown. It was designated Natural Monuments of South Korea number 348 on April 17, 1986. * Duwibong

Taxus cuspidata ''Taxus cuspidata'', the Japanese yew or spreading yew, is a member of the genus ''Taxus'', native to Japan, Korea, northeast China and the extreme southeast of Russia. It is an evergreen tree or large shrub growing to 10–18 m tall, with a tru ...

habitat: Taxus cuspidata in Duwibong is protected because it is considered oldest in South Korea. Designated natural monuments of South Korea on June 29, 2004 as number 433.

Tourism

Arirang Museum, run by the county government, was opened in 2016 to promote

, collecting and displaying around 600 exhibits. Jeongseon Arirang Festival is held annually in October, to preserve Jeongseon Arirang and promote them. In addition to Jeongseon Arirang show, Arirang from other region is also performed. High 1 Resort, a ski resort, is located in Gohan-eup, the resort at 1,345 meters is at the highest altitude of the Korean ski resorts.

Kangwon Land Kangwon Land (hangul:강원랜드) is a South Korean casino and resort company based in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The Company develops abandoned mines, and builds gaming and entertainment facilities. Kangwon Land operates a number of ga ...

, located in Jeongseon, is the only domestic casino that is open to South Korean citizens.

Sports

2018 Winter Olympic Games

The

Alpine Skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

venue was located at the

Jeongseon Alpine Centre Jeongseon Alpine Centre (정선 알파인 경기장) was an alpine skiing area in South Korea. It was located on the slopes of the mountain of Gariwangsan, in Bukpyeong-myeon in the county of Jeongseon. Overview Jeongseon was a venue for the Pye ...

in Jungbong, Bukpyeong-myeon, Jeongseon during the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

Transportation

A-Train (Korail) - 3, Jeongseon Arirang Train, 2015

Taebaek line Taebaek Line is a single-track electrified railway mainline connecting Jecheon station to Baeksan station in South Korea. At its two ends, the Taebaek Line connects to the Jungang Line and Yeongdong Line. The line was originally two spur lines, ...

and

Jeongseon line Jeongseon (''Jeongseon-gun'') is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea. It is famous as the hometown of "Jeongseon Arirang," a traditional Korean folksong. It is also the hometown of actor Won Bin and footballer Seol Ki-hyeon. Hi ...

pass through Jeongseon county.

A-train is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...

departing from Cheongnyangni operates to Auraji. There is no highway in Jeongseon County, but

Yeongdong Expressway The Yeongdong Expressway () is an expressway in South Korea. Numbered 50, it connects the Seoul area with Gangwon Province. It is named from Yeongdong, an old name for Gangwon. The road has its western end in Namdong-gu of Incheon Metropol ...

is accessible through

Pyeongchang County Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...

, and national highway number 6, 31, 35, 42, 49 passes through the County.

References

External links

*
Jeongseon County government home page
{{Authority control Counties of Gangwon Province, South Korea