Yanggu, Gangwon Province, South Korea

2020-04-13

Yanggu -  A day's trip

Yanggu is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea and is located in the geographic center of the Korean peninsula, so it is called the "navel of Korea". 

The Korean war began on June 25, 1950 because North Korea aimed to conquer South Korea entirely under the communist North Korean regime. Many Korean War battle sites are located in Yanggu and now, the northern part of Yanggu borders the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). For this reason, many military bases are located in Gangwon Province. For example, the 21st Infantry Division which is a military formation of the Republic of Korea Army's III Corps is headquartered in Yanggu. So, you can often see many soldiers at Yanggu Bus Terminal.

Military life is not easy for anyone, anywhere. However, it is generally considered that military life in Gangwon is much more difficult because of the rugged terrain and weather (Gangwon is the coldest region in South Korea.). 

Click the picture above to get more information about DMZ.

South Korean men must complete 18 months of military service (Criteria: ROK Army).

Generally, men discharged from the military mark their division and military occupational specialty on their military uniform.

In this photo, for example, 

민정경찰 means DMZ police.

大韓民國陸軍 means Republic of Korea Army.

GOP 경계작전 means General Outpost Security Operations.

Clock tower in Yanggu

Many stores for soldiers