Yanggu County, Gangwon

Yanggu 양구군
County
Korean transcription(s)
•  Hangul	양구군
•  Hanja	楊 口 郡
• Revised Romanization	Yanggu-gun
• McCune-Reischauer	Yanggu-gun
Yanggu County Office
Flag Emblem of Yanggu
Location in South Korea
Country	South Korea
Region	Gwandong
Administrative divisions	1 eup, 4 myeon
Area
• Total	700.8 km2 (270.6 sq mi)
Population  (September 2024 [1] )
• Total	24,027
• Density	34/km2 (90/sq mi)
• Dialect	Gangwon

Yanggu County (Yanggu-gun) is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea.

The northern part of Yanggu County was part of the front line for much of the Korean War, and now borders the Demilitarized Zone. Several Korean War battle sites are located in Yanggu County, including Bloody Ridge, Heartbreak Ridge, and Hill 1179 (Daeusan). Yanggu is located in what is claimed to be the geographic center of the Korean peninsula. Dochon-ri village in Nam-myeon ^[2] in Yanggu is called the "navel of Korea". ^[3]

History

Yanggu County was the location of the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge and the month long Battle of Heartbreak Ridge during the Korean War. ^[4] Due to its proximity to the Demilitarized Zone following the Korean ceasefire, the area was closed to civilians for several years which led to nature reclaiming the area around the battlefield. The battlefield was later opened to become a memorial and nature trail which goes around all of the memorials erected to soldiers that had died during those battles within the Yanggu County area. ^{[4] [5]}

Economy

Since 2005, Yanggu County has become a main area for apple orchards. This increase was attributed to climate change causing orchards in lower South Korean provinces to become more susceptible to soil degradation, more active fruit moths and scale insects, and anthracnose infecting apple trees. It led to a number of farmers migrating north towards Yanggu due to the climate being more suitable for growing apples. ^[6]

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in South Korea

Yanggu is twinned with: ^[7]

• Chizu, Japan
• Jianli, China
• Saint-Mandé, France

References

1. "Population statistics". Korea Ministry of the Interior and Safety. 2024.
2. "The Natural Side of the DMZ in Yanggu, Gangwon-do" . Retrieved 8 July 2025.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. "Travel to the nude in nature, "DMZ's story 4 – Yanggu" 한반도의 배꼽, 양구". CultureM Magazine. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
4. "Nation-wide trip reminds youth about the meaning of peace : Korea.net : The official website of the Republic of Korea". Korea.net. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
5. "Gangwon opens five new DMZ trails to visitors". Joongang Daily. 18 April 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
6. "Korea's apple farmers head north as climate crisis heats up". Joongang Daily. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
7. "International Exchange". Yanggu County. Retrieved 7 July 2020.

External links

• Yanggu County government home page

38°06′29″N127°59′22″E / 38.107952°N 127.989507°E / 38.107952; 127.989507