Gangwon-do

Gangwon-do illustrates secondary succession after industrial collapse—a mountainous province rebuilding from the ruins of coal extraction. The Samcheok Coal Field once supplied 65% of Korea's domestic coal production, making these mountains the nation's energy source. When the 1980s Coal Rationalization Policy closed the mines, the province experienced economic extinction: populations fled, incomes crashed to second-lowest in Korea, and mining towns became ghost villages.

The province attempted recovery through tourism and mega-events. Pyeongchang's successful 2018 Winter Olympics bid brought global attention, KTX high-speed rail from Seoul, and ₩12.9 trillion in infrastructure investment. The strategy showed results: 17 million tourists visited Pyeongchang in 2023, and Gangwon hosted Asia's first Winter Youth Olympics in 2024. Yet tourism cannot replace mining's economic density—seasonal visitors don't create year-round employment, and the province still has Korea's most rapidly aging population.

The landscape itself tells this succession story. Mount Taebaek's slopes, once honeycombed with mine shafts, now host ski resorts. Jeongseon's abandoned coal facilities became the site of Kangwon Land casino—Korea's only legal gambling venue for citizens—a desperate attempt to inject cash into post-industrial communities. The transformation from underground resource extraction to surface recreation follows ecological succession patterns: pioneer tourism species colonizing disturbed industrial substrate, slowly building new economic soil. Whether this ecosystem can mature into a sustainable economy remains the province's existential question.