Kangwŏn was one of the
Eight Provinces of Korea during the
Joseon Dynasty. The province was formed 1395, and derived its name from the names of the principal cities of
Gangneung (or Kangnŭng; ) and the provincial capital
Wonju (or Wŏnju; ). In 1895, Kangwŏn was replaced by the
Districts of Chuncheon (
Chuncheon-bu; ) in the west and Gangneung (
Gangneung-bu; ) in the east. Wonju became part of
Chungju District. During 1910–1945
Japanese colonial period in Korea, the province was known as
Kōgen-dō. In 1896, Korea was redivided into thirteen provinces, and the two districts were merged to re-form Kangwŏn Province. Although Wonju rejoined Kangwŏn province, the provincial capital was moved to Chuncheon. In 1945, Kangwŏn Province (along with the rest of Korea) was divided by the
38th parallel north in 1945 into
Soviet and
American zones of occupation in the north and south respectively. In 1946, the northern province was expanded to include the North Korean portion of
Gyeonggi Province and the area around
Wŏnsan in
South Hamgyŏng Province. The provincial capital of the North Korean portion of the province was established at Wŏnsan, as Kangwŏn's traditional capitals Wonju and Chuncheon both were south of the 38th parallel. In 1948, the province became part of the new
Democratic People's Republic of Korea. As a result of the
Korean War Armistice Agreement of 1953, the boundary between the North and South Korean portions of the province was shifted northward to the
Military Demarcation Line. In 2002,
Mount Kumgang Tourist Region was split off from the rest of the province to form a separately-administered region. However, in January 2024, after asserting unification as impossible and declaring South Korea a hostile state, North Korea announced that they would close the Mount Kumgang International Tourism Administration. ==Geography==