Jeongseon

Jeongseon (정선) is a town in Gangwon. It is both a name of a small town and of a bigger county.

Understand

Jeongseon is in the mountains in the eastern part of the Gangwon region. It is located in the southeastern part of Gangwon State. The east-west length is 40.25 km, the north-south length is 44.45 km, and the area is 1219.73 ㎢, which is 7.2% of Gangwon State's total area. As of 2018, the population was 37,700, which is 2.4% of Gangwon State's total population.

Once, the region is famous for coal mining industry, but it was declined with the development of the domestic economy. Now, Kangwon Land Casino, which is the only casino open to Korean citizens, is being operated to revive the local economy.

Sabuk, a town of the region is a setting of A Sunny Place of the Youth, which was a Korean popular drama television series in 1990s. Its story takes place when the Subuk's mines were being closed.

Get in

By train

Teabeak Line passes through the region. You can take a Mugunghwa train at Cheongryangni Station, Seoul.

• 1 Gohan Station. If you visit High 1 Resort or Jeongamsa Temple, you should get off at this station. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Sabuk Station. If you go to Kangwon Land Casino, you should get off at this station. (updated Feb 2018)
• 3 Mindungsan Station. (updated Feb 2018)

A-train runs from Cheongryangni Station to Jeongdongjin Station via Mindungsan Station on Teabeak Line. Another kind of A-train connects between Manjong station and Auraji Station via Mindungsan Station along Jeongseon Line. It doesn't run on Monday and Tuesday.

By bus

Jeongseon has two intercity bus terminals.

• Jeongseon Bus Terminal, ☏ +82 33-563-9265. (updated Feb 2018)
• Gohan Sabok Bus Terminal, ☏ +82 33-591-2860. (updated Feb 2018)

By car

No expressway is connected to this region, but you can access here through Pyeongchang connected to Yeongdong Expressway. National highways number 6, 31, 35, 42, and 49 pass the region.

Get around

By taxi

Local buses run unfrequently. Taking a taxi is the best choice in the region. Flag fall is ₩2,800 for the first two kilometers, and surcharge of ₩100 can be applied per 152 m. You should consider that the surcharge is increased when you enter a specific area. Most of drivers can't speak English.

See

Hwaam Cave

• 1 Jeongamsa Temple (정암사), 1410, Hambaeksan-ro, Gohan-eup, ☏ +82 33-591-2469. Established by Jajang the monk during the Silla Daynasty. Because the Sumand Pagoda in the temple stores Buddha's Śarīra, so no Buddharupa statue is seated in the main building Jeokmyeolbogung. The pagoda is the only treasure designated by the Korean government in the region. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Jeongseon Arirang Festival (정선아리랑제), 112 Bongyang-ri, Jeongseon-eup, ☏ +82 33-563-2646. Early October, for three days. This festival is held annually to promote Korea's primal folk song — actually, set of folk songs — the Jeongseon Arirang. The festival starts with disguise parades and folk events followed by various sports and cultural events such as performances of Arirang. 
• 3 Hwaam Cave (화암동굴), 12, Hwaamdonggul-gil, Hwaam-myeon, ☏ +82 33-560-3415. 09:30-16:30. A natural cave that was used to mind gold, Hwaamdonggul has been developed as a theme cave: The Meeting of Gold and Mother Nature. The total area is 1,803 m and it has five special exhibition rooms. Asia's largest golden stalactite wall stands here, 30 m high and 20 m wide, and stalactites in differing types and various sizes. \7000(Adult), \5500(Teenager), \4000(Child). 

Do

• 1 Kangwonland Casino (강원랜드), 265, High1-gil, Sabuk-eup, ☏ +82 1588-7789. Located above the town of Sabuk in southern Jeongseon county, this is the only casino where Koreans are allowed to gamble, and features blackjack, baccarat, roulette, tai-sai and big wheel, plus 480 slot machines. If you have a party of five or more foreigners you can, however, reserve a private table in advance. There is also a subterranean virtual-reality theme park, various performances by a Russian performance troupe and Chinese acrobats, and more. The same resort complex includes the High1 ski resort and High1 Country Club, which are connected to the Casino by frequent shuttle buses and to each other by gondola. 
• 2 Rail biking (레일바이킹), 745, Nochusan-ro, Yeoryang-myeon, ☏ +82 33-563-8787. 08:40, 10:30, 13:00, 14:50, 16:40 (Mar-Oct), 08:40, 10:30, 13:00, 14:50 (Nov-Dec). You can ride a rail bike and enjoy a valley along a 7.2 kilometer abandoned railway from Gujeol-ri to Auraji. You can take a free train when you return. At the starting point, a grasshopper-shaped cafe welcomes you. A 2-person bike and a 4-person bike are available. 

Buy

• 1 Five Day Market (정선5일장), 58-1, Bibong-ro, Jeongseon-eup. Run on the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th day of every month, this market sells mountain produce such as Korean red peppers, garlic, herbal medicine, mountain vegetables, corn rice wine and buckwheat paste. 

Eat

• Gondre Rice (곤드레밥): Koreans usually eat plain rice, but sometimes they mix it with soy beans or wild greens. Gondre is a kind of wild greens, which has unique scent. If you are tired of the plain rice, try it with side dishes.
• Kotdeungchigi Noodles (콧등치기): Buckwheat is a common ingredient in Gangwon. Kotdeungchigi literally means "Hitting a nose" in Korean, and it indicates the noodles have a very thick and resilient texture.

Sleep

• 1 The Kangwonland Hotel, ☏ +82-1588-7789. Deluxe, 676 rooms. 
• 2 The High1 Hotel, ☏ +82-1588-7789. Deluxe, 197 rooms. 

Stay safe

Jeongseon is also usually safe like other regions of South Korea. Although the region has a casino allowed to both locals and foreigners, gambling is illegal out of it.

• Fire, Medical Emergency, Rescue, ☏ 119. 
• Reporting a crime, ☏ 112. 
• General Information Center for foreigners, ☏ 1345. 

Go next

• Pyeongchang
• Taebaek