① The City Famous for Tofu
Gangneung is a representative tourist city. It’s fair to say the entire town is a tourist spot, filled with beautiful landscapes and attractions. Especially in the summer, numerous tourists flock to the city. The annual number of visitors to Gangneung ranges from 15 to 18 million, with 6 to 8 million visiting in the summer alone.
Thus, Gangneung is a popular travel destination for many tourists. While the sights may be everyday scenes for Gangneung residents, many things seem novel to the tourists. Tofu is a famous dish in Gangneung. If you plan on visiting Gangneung, Jjamppong Sundubu (Spicy Seafood Noodle with Tofu) is a must-try dish.
Gangneung is a place where you can enjoy various types of tofu dishes. Gangneung’s Chodang Tofu dates back to the Joseon Dynasty. They still reproduce the traditional production techniques of the old Chodang Tofu. It is known for its clean, soft texture and strong bean flavor, which can be achieved using seawater as a coagulant.
Chodang-dong in Gangneung is still famous as a tofu village. In Gangneung, you can easily find tasty tofu. You can taste hand-made tofu anywhere, and it’s special that you can easily buy factory-made tofu and hand-made tofu. You can taste fresh tofu since it’s made on the same day. They sell it in plastic bags without any special packaging.
Sundubu Gelato is very popular among tourists in Gangneung. It’s a unique dessert you can only find in Gangneung. The combination of Chodang Sundubu and gelato provides a harmonious blend of savory and sweet flavors.
This dessert was born in a soybean flour warehouse next to a Sundubu store that has been operating for over 30 years by the third generation in Chodang Sundubu Village. They even received handmade gelato manufacturing training in Europe to make Sundubu Gelato. Gangneung is truly a city of tofu, where you can enjoy desserts.
② Regional Dialect Competition
The Gangneung dialect belongs to the Yeongdong dialect. However, it varies by region. It’s similar to the dialects of Donghae and Samcheok, but the northern Yeongdong County, including Yangyang and Goseong, also influences it.
There are also unique words used only in Gangneung. The dialect reveals the uniqueness of Gangneung and is a language unique to Gangneung. It’s a foreign language to outsiders, and often, they won’t understand the meaning without interpretation.
In Gangneung, they even host a Gangneung Dialect Competition. The Gangneung Dialect Competition, which took place last June, celebrated its 30th anniversary. The dialect competition, held during the Gangneung Danoje festival, is popular among Gangneung citizens. The venue was crowded with numerous visitors an hour before the start of the competition. The Gangneung Dialect Competition is hosted by the Gangwon Ilbo and Gangneung Danoje Committee and is sponsored by the Gangneung Language (Dialect) Preservation Association.
③ Unique Gangneung Scenery
Gangneung is also famous as a film shooting location. However, the film industry in Gangneung itself has not been well developed. There are only two movie theaters in Gangneung: CGV Gangneung and Gangneung Independent Arts Theater Shin Yeong. CGV entered the market in 2012.
Gangneung Independent Arts Theater Shin Yeong is the only place in Gangwon Province that screens independent and art films exclusively. In the summer of last year, there was news that it was in danger of closing. Gangneung Cinematheque, which operates Shin Yeong Theater, held a sponsorship campaign called “Please Take Care of Shin Yeong Theater.” They faced severe operational difficulties as the subsidies from Gangneung City and Gangwon Province were cut to support the independent and art film exclusive theater.
A roundabout is installed in Okcheon Intersection, Gangneung’s largest downtown area. The citizens of Gangneung call for its demolition. The area includes a central market, a supermarket, and a movie theater.
After the signal system of Okcheon Intersection was changed to a roundabout, complaints from the citizens of Gangneung increased. Most opinions argue that having a roundabout in the place with the highest vehicle traffic intensifies traffic congestion. Such opinions have even been posted on the presidential petition site. While Gangneung City has shown a stance of continuous improvement, residents’ opposition remains strong.
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