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The beauty of the sea, mountains, and rivers alone would be enough to make a trip worthwhile, but in Gangwon State, they all exceed one’s expectations. Travelers are greeted by the stunning scenery of the East Sea stretching to the horizon, the silhouette of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, and the river winding its way through the mountains. It is the essence of captured in the elegant and majestic sceneries of Gangwon State . Start your Gangwon State trip in Gangneung. Walks along the beautiful Jumunjinhaebyeon and Gyeongpohaebyeon Beaches are enough in themselves to warrant this visit, but the view of the open forests at Gangneung Solhyang Arboretum and Daegwallyeong Recreational Forest opens your heart for more. Get a cup of fragrant coffee from the cafés lining Anmokhaebyeon Beach to wrap up your Gangneung trip in style.
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Next is Donghae. Donghae offers a great view of the beautiful East Sea, which is also its namesake. Chuam Chotdaebawi Rock, which rises off the coast of Chuam-dong, makes for a great photo spot, while Nongoldam Street, famous for its murals, and the nearby Dojjaebigol Sky Valley, a skywalk experience, offer an exhilarating experience overlooking the sea from above. After getting your fill of the sea, head inland. Jeongseon’s Gariwangsan Cable Car and Yangtte (Sheep) Farm are sure to create unforgettable memories, whether you are alone or with your loved ones. While you’re in the area, don’t miss the “Hoengseong Korean beef” and “salad rice,” which enjoy nationwide fame for their delectable flavors.
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Wonju, located near Hoengseong, is a region famous for its hanji (traditional Korean paper) culture, thanks to the nearby paper mulberry habitats offering high-quality fiber for paper-making. The best place to see the history and beauty of Wonju hanji culture is the Wonju Hanji Theme Park. From Wonju, head northward to find Chuncheon. The views of the Soyanggang River and Nami Island add a dash of sentimentality to your trip. From there, you can proceed to Sokcho, Goseong, Yeongwol, and other places throughout the Gangwon State .
Hangwa, traditional Korean sweets, earns acclaim and satisfaction as one of Korea’s premier food gifts. It was beloved among both the nobility and the common folk in the past. Gangneung’s hangwa is made with sweet rice, which are fermented for extended periods of time without any additives. The resulting hangwa is a Korean delicacy that stays fresh and flavorful even when stored for a long time.
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ASSORTED HANGWA FROM SUNMI HANGWA
This gift set is made up of Sunmi Hangwa’s sweets, which are made by naturally fermenting baegokchal, a cultivar of sweet rice developed in Korea, for more than 20 days. The history of Sunmi Hangwa, which began as Choi’s Mill in 1939 and is encapsulated in things like castiron pots that are 50 years old, imbues the sweets with a deep and elegant flavor. There are six hangwa variants, from prickly pear to sweet rice, grapes, whole rice, gardenia, and fried sweet rice squares.
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MYEONGIL HANGWA KKOMA GANGJEON
This is a new face of hangwa, brought to life by Myeongil Hangwa, a hangwa store in Gangneung with four generations of history. Their artisanal spirit has been recognized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups through its Longevity Small Business program. Among the hangwa offered by Myeongil Hangwa is the Kkoma Gangjeong (“bite-sized sweet rice puffs”), which enjoys wide popularity among customers of all ages and genders. These are bite-sized rice puffs that are elegant, savory, and addictive.
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Q How do you approach the art of hangwamaking?I work with a sense of pride in continuing the tradition of a hangwa-maker family in Gangneung. My goal is to offer luxurious hangwa to our customers with my parents. But above all, I take pride in my role in promoting Gangneungstyle hangwa.
Q I heard you've been trying a new experiment.We run a tea lounge in our store so that we can help popularize Korean-style desserts. Our tea lounge offers welcome tea with a tea table consisting of bite-sized yugwa (fried rice sweets), yakgwa (honey cookies), and other desserts. Rather than focusing solely on our growth, we focus on bringing traditional Korean foods to the general public and the world through our R&D efforts.
Some visit Gangneung just for the coffee. Back in the old days, Anmokhaebyeon Beach was lined with coffee vending machines. It was even said that these vending machines all served different flavors, so some fans made rounds just to sample the different cups of coffee. In the 2000s, baristas began opening cafés nearby, and they, over time, grew to become Coffee Street. Thus, Gangneung became a popular spot for coffee fans.
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BOHEMIAN PARK I-CHOO COFFEE DRIP BAG SET
One cannot discuss the story of Gangneung’s coffee without mentioning “Bohemian Park I-Choo Coffee.” The main store, where Park I Choo still works behind the counter, offers drip bags containing beans from Guatemala, Cameroon, Congo, and others.
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TERAROSA LIQUID STICK COFFEE SET
This gift set containing liquid coffee sticks was created by Terarosa, one of the most well-known roastery cafés in Gangneung. These sticks contain coffee extracted from classical espresso blends, which can be diluted with water to enhance the flavor. Other ways to enjoy their flavor include adding them to oat milk to create an oat latte or adding them to vanilla or chocolate ice cream to create affogato.
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Q How did you decide to move to Gangneung?
When I came over to Gangneung in the 2000s, there were no buildings in this place. There was only the sea spreading to the horizon. I felt that it was a great place to hone my craft. Now, the area has become known as Coffee Street, and people head to Gangneung specifically to drink coffee.
Q You still have a great passion for coffee; you still make coffee by hand even though you are in your seventies.
The drive to create a good cup of coffee brought me here. I still make coffee, thinking this is my first and last day. Coffee, for me, is coffee. It’s not money. Such devotion may have been passed on to my customers.
When visiting Hoengseong, one must keep in mind that the ingredients for Gangwon State’s famous salad rice are mostly sourced here. After all, Hoengseong’s location in a particularly mountainous area of the State ensures a robust supply of fresh mountain herbs and vegetables that can be used to make salad rice. Any restaurant in Hoengseong serves excellent salad rice, and you can even take that flavor home with Hoengseong Salad Rice Kits.
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GANGWON-DO HOMSRANG SALAD RICE KIT SET
This gift set includes four salad rice kits made with organic vegetables grown by producers. Specifically, it contains Pumpkin Salad Rice, Gangwon Salad Rice, Mushroom Salad Rice, and Dried Radish Salad Rice, all made with patented technology developed by two brothers with 20 years of experience in agriculture. The vegetables are carefully grown without any chemical fertilizers in cool highlands, so you can really feel the clean flavors of Gangwon State ’s nature.
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Deodam is a brewery specializing in clear makgeolli, just like the blue sea. Grade 1 Gangwon rice is brewed in three stages, then fermented for 100 days. The mouthfeel is amazingly smooth and the risk of hangovers is low, so Deodam's makgeolli cemented itself as a regional specialty of Donghae.
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DEODAM DRAFT MAKGEOLLI 9% & 12%
Donghae’s Deodam Draft Makgeolli has two varieties shaped through patience. The 12% variant has a balance of sweetness, bitterness, and acidity, underlined by a robustly savory profile. It can be enjoyed on the rocks. The 9% variant is elegant and understated without being light or sweet, creating a lasting impression.
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Gangwon State's terrain and climate made the region a premier farmland for protatoes in Korea. Potatoes have indeed been a part of life for many years in Gangwondo, and recently, snacks and merch developed by local stores are trying to make Gangwon potatoes a specialty not only in the region but also throughout Korea.
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SLOWSLOWDAMDAM POTATO MERCH
The goblet bears the unmistakable silhouette of potatoes. Its lovely appearance beckons for you to hold it in your hand. Choi So-yeon, a ceramic artist active in Gangneung, made these goblets as vessels that can capture the lives of Gangwondo’s people and beverages like tea and spirits with equal ease. There’s even a chopstick holder in the shape of a potato.
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GAMJA ISLAND POTATO BEER
Potato beer is the flagship product of “Gamja IsLand,” a group of young locals who set out with the goal of making craft beer with agricultural products from the region. The goal was to create a German beer flavor with potatoes from Gangwon State, and so the beer is impressively delicious with a hint of potato flavor. Other flavors available for sampling include corn beer, red bean bear, apple beer, and peach beer.
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POTATO PARK POTATO SNACKS
Gangneung’s “Potato Park” joins the variations on the humble root vegetable, the likes of which include potato bread and potato beer, with its “Popa Chip.” These potato chips are made with unusually large or ugly potatoes, which would otherwise be thrown away as losses, so they symbolize an interesting way to achieve mutual benefit with regional farms. Of course, even without that socially conscious motive, the chips themselves impress with salt, cheese, garlic butter, and other flavors.
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Embroidery, the painstaking art of stitching patterns, has long been something that has captured the sentiments of Koreans, such as love for one’s children, piety toward one’s parents, and care for one’s partner. Gangneung embroidery, in particular, is loved by fans of the art form because of its abstract and flamboyant patterns. Visitors to Gangneung can get trendy items like linen wrapping clothes.
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GANGNEUNG EMBROIDERY GIV STORY LAB NORIGAE
Silk threads are used to create beautiful patterns on silk fabric. Then, traditional knots and tassels are added as ornaments. The resulting norigae (traditional clothing ornament) is less than 30 cm in length. Other products include picture frames, coffee air fresheners, earrings, and key rings.
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GANGNEUNG EMBROIDERY GIV STORY LAB LINEN WRAPPING CLOTHES
This product bears the flower and tree patterns drawn from Gangneung’s embroidery tradition. It comes in two colors, white and pale blue, and both are equally elegant and beautiful. Gangneung embroidery with the flower and tree patterns was traditionally used for wedding events, so they were made with deliberate care for several months.
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Nami Island is one of the most beloved tourist sites in Korea, most famous as the filming location of Winter Sonata. Visitors have access to merch that allow them to bring the island's peaceful and mystic atmosphere back home.
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SNOWMAN PLUSHIE
Snowmen became Nami Island’s mascot characters because the two protagonists of the show Winter Sonata discovered their affection for each other while making snowmen on the island. Because the show aired in 2002, that scene has started to fade from people’s memory, but snowmen have remained symbols of Nami Island. The plushie is soft, squishy, and pleasant to hold.
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UPCYCLED PRODUCTS FROM SOJU BOTTLES
Until the 1980s, Nami Island suffered from widespread littering. The island recovered its beauty in the 2000s following extensive cleaning operations, and since then, it has vowed never to return to that period. One part of that effort is the upcycled napkin holders, clocks, dishes, and other items fashioned from discarded soju bottles. That vow to protect nature is as beautiful as Nami Island itself.
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Wonju was traditionally a prominent producer of Korean paper, thanks to its environment offering an ideal habitat for paper mulberry trees, which, along with the nearby government office, resulted in a papermaking village and printing alleys coming to be around the area as well. Wonju hanji still retains its excellence today.
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WONJU HANJI THEME PARK HANJI FOUR-SIDED LANTERN
This mood light is made by hand-cutting patterns on hanji. The patterns include lotus flowers, plum blossoms, and timber frames. Hanji lets light through gently, so it helps reduce eye fatigue. Turn on the lamp and turn down other lights to create a comfortable atmosphere.
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WONJU HANJI THEME PARK HANJI NECKTIE
This necktie is made with a mixture of hanji and silk, bringing the strengths of both fabrics to the fore. It offers both functionality and grace with its elegant, four-season design and hypoallergenic quality. It can be washed with water and recovers its form quite well.
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WONJU HANJI THEME PARK HANJI DRAWERS
These drawers bear flamboyant and alluring patterns that captivate the beholder. Traditional patterns are embroidered on everything, from drawers to treasure boxes, pencil cases, memorial tablet frames, and business card cases. The great variety of containers that bear the patterns of Wonju hanji will satisfy even the most avid collectors.
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As the need to save our Earth grows stronger with each passing day, we take solace in the fact that there is a product that upcycles glass pieces from the sea. Sea glass, which can harm life with waves, are now reborn into necklaces and rings.
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BADA KOREA SEA GLASS NECKLACE, RING, SUNCATCHER
How did beer and soju bottles become so pretty? Selected pieces of beer and soju bottles that have washed ashore along the East Sea are made into necklaces, rings, and suncatchers. They are so brilliant and fine that one could be forgiven for not believing that they are upcycled products, so it is very difficult to resist their lure. And what a good purchase they will be!
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Q How did you come to make handicrafts with sea glass? I got into surfing back in 2009, and since then, I have been surfing every weekend. Because I fell in love with the sea, I made a small promise to help clean it up. There is no replacement for the sea, after all. Then, I came across an upcycled sea glass ornament overseas by chance. I began collecting sea glasses, seashells, and other materials for handicrafts.
Q The name of the company, “Bada Hanjogak” (the Korean name of “Bada Korea” that means “a piece of sea”), is quite pretty. Every sea glass is different in color, size, and shape. That’s the reason products upcycled from sea glass are one of a kind. In the end, the sea is also one of a kind, right? We make the ornaments with care to pass on this attitude of caring for the environment to those who come across our handicrafts.
Known as ungiseok in Korean, woodgrain stone is a natural mineral produced only in Jeongseon. The features of the stone can be imagined from its Korean name, ungiseok, meaning woodgrain (un), energy (gi), and stone (seok), and the reason it is named such is quite easy to see. Jeongseon’s woodgrain stones, which bear beautiful patterns and beneficial minerals like Germanium, can be found in various forms and sculptures.
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UNGISEOK 9020 WOODGRAIN STONE NOTEPAD & PEN
The three-section notepad uses hanji smoothed with powdered woodgrain stone for a softer texture and sturdier construction. The center of the notepad allows you to store credit or business cards. The pen, which is inspired by the planet Jupiter, is one of the most popular woodgrain stone products thanks to its mysterious appearance.
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UNGISEOK 9020 WOODGRAIN STONE BRACELET
These bracelets are designed using different gemstones with woodgrain stones as their basis. Different gemstones imbue the bracelets with different colors, while woodgrain stones hold the center with their unique presence and patterns, creating a harmoniously refined feeling. The company also sells fit bracelets with a silicone strap and bracelets featuring the legendary animal Pixiu, which symbolizes good fortune.
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Q When did you start working with woodgrain stones? In 1990, my father discovered the woodgrain stone deposit here and opened a mine. It was our first attempt at developing something like this, so it was quite difficult to shape the stone into a decent product. Even when business wasn’t so easy, my father continued to put everything into the project. So, I, being the eldest son, jumped into the business first, and my little sister, Lee Min-gyeong, joined us recently.
Q It is surprising to see such a variety of products made with woodgrain stone. Woodgrain stone has this mysterious presence by itself, right? It can notably also be used to create accessories, sculptures, wallpapers, and many others. The fact that it is only mined in Jeongseon also makes it a local specialty. We hope to elevate it to a status where it can represent Korea on the world stage. For that, we hope for your continued interest and love for Jeongseon’s woodgrain stones.
