Yanggu County

Yanggu is located in what is claimed to be the geographic center of the Korean peninsula. Dochon-ri village in Nam-myeon in Yanggu is called the "navel of Korea".

• Name — Yanggu • Settlement Type — County • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — South Korea • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Gangwon Province, South Korea • Area Total Km2 — 700.8 • Population As Of — September 2024 • Population Total — 24027 • Population Density Km2 — 34 • Parts Type — Administrative divisions • Parts — 1 eup, 4 myeon • Blank Emblem Type — Emblem of Yanggu

Yanggu County was the location of the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge and the month-long Battle of Heartbreak Ridge during the Korean War. Due to its proximity to the Demilitarized Zone following the Korean ceasefire, the area was closed to civilians for several years which led to nature reclaiming the area around the battlefield. The battlefield was later opened to become a memorial and nature trail which goes around all of the memorials erected to soldiers that had died during those battles within the Yanggu County area.

Since 2005, Yanggu County has become a main area for apple orchards. This increase was attributed to climate change causing orchards in lower South Korean provinces to become more susceptible to soil degradation, more active fruit moths and scale insects, and anthracnose infecting apple trees. It led to a number of farmers migrating north towards Yanggu due to the climate being more suitable for growing apples.

Yanggu is twinned with: • Chizu, Japan • Jianli, China • Saint-Mandé, France