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Gangwon (Gangwon-do) is a province in North Korea, with its capital at Wŏnsan. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Kangwŏn and its South Korean neighbour Gangwon formed a single province, one of the former eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty.
Along with the rest of Korea, Kangwŏn Province was divided by the 38th parallel in 1945 into Soviet and American zones of occupation in the north and south respectively. In 1946, the northern province was expanded to include the North Korean portion of Gyeonggi Province, and the area around Wŏnsan in South Hamgyŏng Province. In 1948, the province became part of the new nation of North Korea. As a result of the Korean War ceasefire of 1953, the boundary between the North and South Korean portions of the province was shifted northward to the Military Demarcation Line. The province's boundaries have remained the same since 1953.
The province is bordered by South Hamgyŏng to the north, South P'yŏngan and North Hwanghae to the west, and Kaesŏng to the south. Additionally, the province is across the Korean Demilitarized Zone from its South Korean counterpart Gangwon. To the east is the East Sea (Sea of Japan).
Kangwŏn Province is divided into 2 cities (Shi) and 15 counties (Kun).
| Administrative divisions of North Korea | |
|---|---|
| Directly Governed Cities P'yŏngyang | Rasŏn | |
| Former Directly Governed Cities | |
| Special Administrative Regions Kaesŏng Industrial Region | Kŭmgang-san Tourist Region | Shinŭiju Special Administrative Region | |
| Provinces Chagang | North Hamgyŏng | South Hamgyŏng | North Hwanghae | South Hwanghae | Kangwŏn | North P'yŏngan | South P'yŏngan | Ryanggang | |
| The Eight Provinces (八道) of Joseon-Dynasty Korea |
|---|
| Chungcheong | Gangwon | Gyeonggi | Gyeongsang | Hamgyŏng | Hwanghae | Jeolla | P'yŏngan |