Coson (Gangwon-do)

The founding date of the county is 1894 . Then on the site of modern Koson there were two districts - Koson and Kanson. In 1895, this territory became part of the Gangneung (Gangnebu) district, but after a short time the counties of Koson and Kanson were again restored. In 1896, Coson became part of Canson, but in 1919 Kanson was renamed Coson. After the separation of Korea, the county remained with the DPRK , but as a result of the Korean War in 1953, it became part of South Korea. In 1963, the Koson area included the Chugwanmen and Tosonmen regions from Yangyang county. ^[one]

The county is located in the northern part of the province of Gangwon-do and is the most eastern point of South Korea. 46% of the territory of the county belongs to the military due to the neighborhood of the Demilitarized Zone . The landscape is predominantly mountainous - Koson is located between the mountains Kumgansan and Soraksan . ^[one]

Koson is administratively divided into 2 members and 4 names: ^[2]

• Art Gallery Chinburen. Here are the works of mostly modern South Korean sculptors and artists. Large exposition of ceramics. ^[3]
• The museum of the Kymgans mountains is a large museum, which contains about 1,800 samples, of which over 500 meteorites and meteorite fragments, as well as more than 1,400 fossils, mainly from the Paleozoic and Cenozoic eras. ^[four]
• The Hemaji Festival, held on January 1 of each year, is a celebration of the meeting of the dawn. Festival visitors meet the sun before anyone else in the country. ^[five]
• Suson Festival - held annually on September 22 and 23. Suson is the name of one of the villages located on the site of modern Kosona. During the festival, performances of folk groups, dramatized processions, sports competitions and literary contests are held. ^[6]

• Unification Observatory - located high in the mountains. With the help of powerful optical systems of the observatory, visitors can observe life in the DPRK. ^[7]
• The Temple of Conbons is a Buddhist temple built in the 6th century . He was one of the largest and most famous temples of Korea of ​​that period. He was the stakes of the resistance movement against the Japanese forces during the Imjin war . On the territory of the temple there are many buildings protected by the state. In particular, the Purimun gate, built in 1902, is included in the Ganwon-do list of cultural heritage at number 35. ^[8]
• Hwaamsa Temple is a Buddhist temple built in the 8th century in the era of Silla. In the vicinity of the temple is an annual international marathon with a reduced distance. ^[9]
• Lake Hvadzhinpoho - a large lake with virgin nature. It is a place of migration for many species of migratory birds. Included in the list of monuments of nature in South Korea at number 201. ^[10]
• Sondzhiho Lake - a small lake with a coastline of about 4 km. The shores of the lake are covered with ancient pine forest. The peculiarity of the lake is that the water is usually fresh, but it is so close to the sea that during storms or the rainy season the lake becomes a sea bay, therefore both freshwater and marine fish species live here. ^[eleven]

Like all other cities and counties of South Korea, Koson has a number of symbols: ^[1]

• Tree: Gingko
• Flower: wild rose
• Bird: seagull

Koson has a number of twin cities: ^[12]

•   Jixi ( Heilongjiang Province), China - since 2001 .
•   Yodoe ( Tottori Prefecture), Japan - since 2001 . In 2005, Yodoe was incorporated into the city of Yonago .

• The official website of the county (eng.)
• County page in the wiki-encyclopedia Galbijim (English)
• Sights of Koson