Gangwon Tourism Foundation Achieves 112% of Target for Gangwon 20s Famous Mountains
Establishes a Leading Model for Local Economic Revitalization with the '20s Famous Mountain Certification Challenge'
New Mountains to Be Added in 2026... Strengthening Its Position as a Hub for Mountain Tourism
On December 19, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and the Gangwon Tourism Foundation (CEO Choi Sunghyun, hereinafter referred to as the foundation) announced that the 'Gangwon 20s Famous Mountain Certification Challenge,' which has been promoted since 2021, has firmly established itself as a representative tourism program of Gangwon as it marks its fifth anniversary in 2025.
This year, the challenge was held over a total of nine months from March to November. A total of 90,808 people completed the certification, and among them, 824 participants achieved the feat of climbing all 20 designated peaks. This figure exceeds the target, which was set at the three-year average of 80,785 participants, by 112.4%. Based on an analysis using data from the National Park Leisure Survey, the economic impact is estimated to be approximately 5.6 billion won.
The most visited famous mountains were, in order: Seoraksan Daecheongbong, Chiaksan, Samaksan, Mindungsan, and Palbongsan. This year, newly designated mountains such as Bonghwasan in Yanggu and Balsan in Yeongwol also garnered significant attention and popularity.
To promote the Gangwon 20s Famous Mountains, the foundation held hiking events such as 'Find Santa on the Weekend' at Samaksan in Chuncheon in April and Bonghwasan in Yanggu in May, attracting about 260 hiking enthusiasts. In addition, supplementary events such as a spring forest fire prevention campaign and a clean hiking campaign added further meaning. Participant satisfaction reached 91.8%, and the intention to revisit was as high as 98.6%.
From April to October, the foundation also held regional consumption events linked to the Gangwon 20s Famous Mountains at traditional markets across 18 cities and counties in the province. In September, the foundation contributed to revitalizing the local economy by distributing Onnuri gift certificates in conjunction with market days at Chuncheon’s Pungmul Market. Furthermore, the foundation signed a business agreement with the Gangwon Regional Office of the Small and Medium Business Administration (Director Park Soonhong) and the Gangwon Regional Headquarters of the Small Enterprise and Market Service (Director Baek Sunim) to actively cooperate in boosting the local economy through tourism.
Choi Sunghyun, CEO of the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, stated, "The Gangwon 20s Famous Mountains is the foundation's flagship program, with participation from countless mountain enthusiasts," adding, "It is a leading project that drives our core mission of revitalizing the local economy through tourism."
He continued, "We will continue our efforts to strengthen cooperation with related organizations in the province so that tourism activities naturally lead to local consumption."
Meanwhile, for the 2026 operation of the Gangwon 20s Famous Mountain Certification Challenge, the foundation plans to further enhance the program by adding a variety of new mountains, in addition to Bonghwasan (Yanggu) and Balsan (Yeongwol), and by offering diverse events to attract even more mountain enthusiasts to Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
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