About Gangwon-do
General of GangWon Province
Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its North Korean neighbour Kangwŏn formed a single province. Mt. Seoraksan, which is part of the Mt. Geumgangsan Range, draws visitors with its magnificent splendor. It is also inhabited by the half-moon bear, Gangwon-do's symbolic animal and one of the most endangered species in the world. Mt. Seoraksan, is truly an impressive and colorful all-season destination.
Location of GangWon Province
Gangwon-do is located in the mid-eastern part of the Korean Peninsula and is divided into two areas, Yeongdong and Yeongseo, by the Taebaek Mountains running along the eastern part of the peninsula. It extends between 37°02' and 38°37' north latitude and 127°05' and 129°22' east longitude, and the 38th Parallel crosses the middle of the province. The province is also crossed by the 145-km-long Military Demarcation Line(MDL), which starts at 38°45' north latitude, in Hyeonnae-myeon in Goseong-gun to the southwest, to a site at 38°20' north latitude linking Hyangnobong Peak, Mondong-ri and Gimhwa-eup. Gangwon-do is 150 km wide, from east to west, and 243 km long, from north to south, and has an eastern coastline of about 314 km.
Area of GangWon Province
The total area of Gangwon-do is 20,569Km² of which the area south of the MDL is 16,873.51Km², which accounts for 82% of the province's total area and 16.8% of the national territory of South Korea. The province consists of the mountainous areas covering 81.0% of the total provincial area, including 13,665.66Km² and farming fields of 1,668.69Km², which accounts for 9.9%, and land for other purposes covering 9.1% of the total area, with 1,539.25Km².
Geographical Features of GangWon Province
Gangwon-do is a mountainous province, a much greater part of whose area is occupied by mountains, and is usually divided into two areas, Yeongdong and Yeongseo, with the Taebaek Mountains, which form the backbone of the Korean Peninsula, in the middle. The area east of the Taebaek Mountains is marked by steep slopes with few coastal plains, while the western area is marked by gentle slopes and mountains containing the headwaters of some of the Korea's largest rivers, such as the Namhangang and Bukhangang Rivers. The annual mean temperature in the Yeongdong area is higher than that of the Yeongseo area by 2°C. The annual precipitation rates in the two areas are 2,058.5mm and 1,690.3mm, respectively, showing that Gangwon-do's eastern part, including Gangneung, Sokcho and Samcheok, has more rainfall(by about 370 mm annually) than the western part, which includes Chuncheon, Wonju and Cheorwon. The province tends to have strong winds in the winter and spring, whose speed is typically higher than in other provinces. It also has more snow in winter. The Yeongdong area, in particular, tends to have much larger snowfall in January and February than the rest of the entire country.
About Pyeongchang
General of PyeongChang
Gangwon-do is a mountainous province, a much greater part of whose area is occupied by mountains, and is usually divided into two areas, Yeongdong and Yeongseo, with the Taebaek Mountains, which form the backbone of the Korean Peninsula, in the middle. The area east of the Taebaek Mountains is marked by steep slopes with few coastal plains, while the western area is marked by gentle slopes and mountains containing the headwaters of some of the Korea's largest rivers, such as the Namhangang and Bukhangang Rivers. The annual mean temperature in the Yeongdong area is higher than that of the Yeongseo area by 2°C. The annual precipitation rates in the two areas are 2,058.5mm and 1,690.3mm, respectively, showing that Gangwon-do's eastern part, including Gangneung, Sokcho and Samcheok, has more rainfall(by about 370 mm annually) than the western part, which includes Chuncheon, Wonju and Cheorwon. The province tends to have strong winds in the winter and spring, whose speed is typically higher than in other provinces. It also has more snow in winter. The Yeongdong area, in particular, tends to have much larger snowfall in January and February than the rest of the entire country.
Geographical Features of PyeongChang
The altitude of PyeongChang is wide-ranging, with 84% of its territory comprising mountains with average elevations of 750m(2,460 ft). Its best-known place, the township of Daegwallyeong-myeon, averages between 700 to 800m(2,300 to 2,600 ft) above sea level, with some areas over 1,000m(3,300 ft) high. Daegwallyeong-myeon has a humid continental climate(Koppen climate classification Dfb/Dfw) with warm, humid summers and long, cold winters.
General Information
Weather
In February, temperatures the region of PyeongChang usually range between a maximum of +4℃ in the daytime and a minimum of -4℃ at night. Please bring warm clothing for sub-zero temperatures. Current weather conditions in the area can be found at:
http://www.bing.com/weather/Pyeongchang
Time Difference
Korea is 9 hours ahead of GMT(standard time).
Business Hours
Government office hours are usually from 09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and closed on weekends. Banks are open from 09:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Most shops are open from 10:00 to 22:00 through the entire week.
Electricity
The standard voltage in Korea is 220 volts at 60 Hz. The outlet has two round hotels and is the same type used in France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Turkey, and many other countries. Always check the power supply before using your equipment.
Foreign Exchange and Banking
The monetary unit is the Won(KRW, denoted by ￦). Korean monetary units are 10, 50, 100, and 500 coins, and 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 notes. The exchange rate is approximately KRW 1,062/USD 1(as of December 2013). All major credit cards such as American Express, Visa and Master Card are accepted for payment of hotel bills.
Tipping
Tipping is not a traditional Korean custom. A 10% service charge is added to your bill at all tourist hotels and so tipping is not expected. It is not necessary to tip a taxi driver unless he assists you with luggage or provides an extra service.
ATM
Travelers who carry internationally recognized credit cards can get a cash advance in Korean won from Automated Teller Machines(ATMs) installed at airports, major hotels, department stores, subway stations, major tourist attractions and most convenience stores.
Roaming Service
CDMA cellular systems are widely used in Korea. SK Telecom and KT are providing a SIM card roaming service to allow you to use your GSM subscription in Korea. At the International Airport, you can rent a special CDMA cellular phone which accepts your SIM card. Please check the links below for more details.
- KT roaming service : http://www.ktfroaming.com/english/
- SK Telecom roaming service : http://www.sktelecom.com/eng/
Useful Websites
- Korea National Tourism Organization : http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/
- Korea Immigration Service http://www.korea.net/
Emergency & Useful Phone Numbers
* Local calls
For local calls within the same area or city, just dial the telephone number. For another area or city, please dial the 'area code' before the telephone number. (E.g. For calls from Seoul to PyeongChang, please dial the area code for PyeongChang(033) before the telephone number. However, the area code should be dialed when using a mobile phone.)
- International Calls
For international calls, first dial the international access code(001, 002 or 008), the country code, area code and the recipient's number.
* Emergency
Police 112
Fire and Ambulance 119
Medical Emergency 1339
VAT
A Value-Added Tax(VAT) is levied on most goods and services at a standard rate of 10% and is included in the retail price. At hotels, a 10% VAT is applied to rooms, meals and other services and is included in the bill.
