Kangnŭng

Kangnŭng, also spelled Gangneung, city, Kangwŏn (Gangwon) do (province), northeastern South Korea. A coastal city on the East Sea (Sea of Japan), it has been the administrative and economic centre for the eastern areas of the T’aebaek Mountains from ancient times. The city’s many historical remains include Ojukhŏn (Ojukheon), the former home of the Confucian scholar Yi Yulgok (1536–84), which also houses his ancestral shrine. Kyŏngpodae (Gyeongpodae), a scenic site 4 miles (6 km) north of the city, has a good bathing beach, pine forests, and a pavilion built during the Chosŏn (Yi) dynasty (built 1326; moved to its present location 1508). Silk-weaving is a traditional industry of the city, which also has a research complex for industries that include marine biotechnology and a branch of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology that concentrates on environmental research and technology. Pop. (2010) 218,471.