Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, is the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics. This event was recorded as the largest Winter Olympics in history with 92 countries participating. It was especially notable as women’s ice hockey teams of the two Koreas participated as a united team in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, adding to the sound of peace. But Pyeongchang has more than just winter. Let’s go to Pyeongchang, which embraces different scenery throughout the four seasons.

#Tourist destination

Winter is a season that excites skiers. Pyeongchang is one of the best ski resorts for them, because they have more natural snow than artificial snow, making the skiing excellent. There are several ski resorts in Pyeongchang, such as Phoenix Pyeongchang, Mona-park Yongpyong Resort, and Alpensia. Phoenix Pyeongchang has 21 slopes, so it is perfect for extreme sports, and Mona-park Yongpyong is Korea’s first ski resort. From the summit of Alpensia, you can see all the way from Daegwallyeong Pass to the East Sea. All these ski resorts held the Winter Olympics events such as ski jumping.

Daegwallyeong Pass, also known as the Korean Alps, has a sheep ranch. The scenery of the sheep ranch created by white flocks, green meadows, and colorful ridges is the best gift for those visiting Pyeongchang to get away from everyday life. Let's also visit Woljeongsa Temple in Odaesan National Park. As a temple with a history of more than 1,000 years, it represents Korean Buddhism. In autumn, a trip to Woljeongsa Fir Forest is also recommended.

#Food

'When Bucketwheat Flowers Blossom' is a novel written by Korean author Lee Hyo-seok that is set Bongpyeong, Pyeongchang in the 1920s. Thanks to the novel’s popularity, more people come visit Bongpyeong around the time the buckwheat flowers are in bloom, and more places in Bongpyeong are planting buckwheat. This has naturally led to the birth of dishes made with buckwheat. One of them is Makguksu (buckwheat noodles). How about a tour course where you can enjoy the spectacle of white buckwheat flowers in early autumn and then delight your mouth Makguksu?

Preparation for Deokjang (drying field) to make Hwangtae (dried pollack) is in full swing at the Daegwallyeong Pass in early December. Pollack hanging on Deokjang turns into yellow as it freezes and thaws repeatedly for more than 3 months with snow, and it is a specialty of Pyeongchang. The snow-covered Hwangtae Deokjang is a new attraction in the winter of Daegwallyeong Pass. A bowl of delicious Hwangtae soup is great for breakfast in Pyeongchang.

#Specialties

Trout is a picky fish that only lives in clean running water. Pyeongchang is the perfect place for trout farming because it has clean and clear water. Sliced raw trout is savory and light, and Pyeongchang has the largest number of sliced raw trout restaurants in the country as a result. The Trout Festival, which has been held since 2007, has established itself as a popular festival attracting crowds from across the country as it presents the joy of catching trout in the ice hole of Odaecheon stream.

If there are trout in the water, there are melons on the ground. Pyeongchang is emerging as the main production area for melons. Pyeongchang melons are grown in the highland with a large daily temperature difference of 700m above sea level, so they have a thick and clear net and a high sugar content, with an average of 15 brix or more. They boast the highest quality and are more expensive than other melons. This is the result of Pyeongchang’s distribution of melons as a substitute for vegetables in high altitudes.