Gangneung–Wonju National University (GWNU; ) is a national research university with two campuses, in Gangneung and Wonju, South Korea. Founded in 1946, GWNU is situated on the east coast of the country. The institution traces its roots to Gangneung Normal School and Wonju Nursing Higher Technical School, which were established in 1946 and 1967, respectively. The two schools merged in 2007, and the institution was renamed in 2009.
GWNU comprises 9 colleges, 49 departments and divisions, a general graduate school, and 3 specialized graduate schools. It operates the Gangneung-Wonju National University Dental Hospital, located in Gangneung, and the Gangneung–Wonju National University Kindergarten, in Wonju. Additionally, the university features 35 auxiliary facilities, including the Center for Educational Research & Innovation and the Lifelong Education Center, along with 27 research institutes, such as the Institute of Humanities and the East Coast Life Science Research Institute.
History Gangneung–Wonju National University (GWNU) was established in 2007, through the merger of Gangneung National University and Wonju National College.
1946–1978 Following the 1945 liberation of Korea, the departure of Japanese educators coincided with an increase in primary school enrollment. In response, the educational authorities of the United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) decided to restructure the ten normal schools established during the Japanese colonial period. Under this plan, three schools were designated for training secondary school teachers, while the remaining seven maintained their focus on primary education. Concurrently, the government authorized the establishment of new public normal schools in several cities, including Gangneung, Kaesong, Busan, and Chungju.Youngwoo-Kim, 강릉사범학교(江陵師範學校), [Gangneung Normal School], 《 Encyclopedia of Korean Culture》, Seongnam: The Academy of Korean Studies
In 1946, the public Gangneung Normal School was founded, alongside Kyungpo middle school. It initially used the campuses of what are now Myeongju Elementary School and Jungang Elementary School. Before its eventual closure, Gangneung Normal School produced a total of 2,047 primary school educators across 15 graduating classes.
Following the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the school was forced to temporarily suspend operations. To maintain its academic curriculum during the conflict, the institution established a special refugee school in Busan.
The institution continued to expand, establishing the Jungang Elementary School in 1957 and the Gangneung high school in 1961. However, this growth was halted due to a major restructuring of the primary teacher training system, and as a result, Gangneung Normal School ceased admitting new students for the 1962 academic year and was officially closed in 1963.
In 1966, the Committee for the Promotion of Establishing Gangneung Teachers College was formed by the local community. The committee persistently petitioned the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea, emphasizing the necessity for establishing a teachers college in the Yeongdong region. These efforts culminated in August 1968, when the institution was re-established as Gangneung Teachers College, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 3535.
Concurrently, in March 1967, Wonju Nursing Higher Technical School was authorized and opened as a public institution. Five years after its inception, the school was restructured and upgraded to Wonju Nursing Vocational School, in December 1972.
1970–1990
In December 1977, Gangneung Teachers College, which had served as the primary teacher training institution for the Yeongdong region, was reorganized into Gangneung Junior College and officially opened in March 1978. Following a government policy to merge junior colleges and vocational schools into a unified junior college system, the institution's academic structure was upgraded to a four-year curriculum in 1979. Consequently, the institution bypassed the junior college transition and was elevated directly to Gangneung College, a four-year undergraduate institution.
Concurrently, in 1979, Wonju Nursing Vocational School was reorganized under the junior college system and renamed Wonju Nursing Junior College. While it had previously functioned strictly as a specialized nursing institution, it expanded its academic scope by establishing the Department of Early Childhood Education in 1981. The following year, the school was transferred to national ownership and renamed Wonju National Junior College. The following year, the institution significantly expanded its facilities by relocating its campus from Wonin-dong to its current location.
1991–1999 In 1991, Gangneung College was elevated to a comprehensive national university and renamed Kangnung National University. The 163rd Reserve Officers' Training Corps was held on the campus in 1992.
In 1994, the university established the 11th dental college in South Korea, which remains the only dental school in the Gangwon region. The Gangneung-Wonju National University Dental Hospital officially opened in 1997.
During this period, student movements advocating for campus democratization and political reforms became prominent. When local organized crime groups interfered with student elections by obstructing candidate registrations, students organized widespread protests. Following the fatal beating of the student activist Kang Kyung-dae at Myongji University in 1991, students from Kangnung National University collaborated with peers from Kwandong University and Yeongdong Junior College to conduct large-scale street demonstrations.
Concurrently, responding to regional demands to supply technical professionals to nearby industrial complexes, Wonju National Junior College expanded its curriculum to offer associate degrees in engineering disciplines. In 1999, the institution officially changed its name to Wonju National College.
2000–present
During the 2000s, in accordance with the national university restructuring policies instituted by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development of South Korea, Kangnung National University initiated merger proceedings with Wonju National Junior College. In October 2005, the presidents of both institutions signed a basic memorandum of understanding for the merger. Following an official review in 2006, the integration was finalized in 2007.
Following the merger, the university formed the School Name Selection Committee to discuss a new institutional name, as previously agreed upon. This process faced significant challenges due to conflicting interests among civic groups and stakeholders in both Gangneung and Wonju. The conflict escalated into a major community issue as it moved beyond an internal campus dispute, drawing active participation from local societies and civic groups in both Gangneung and Wonju. In March 2008, the School Name Selection Committee officially selected Gangneung–Wonju National University as its top choice for the new university name, and a year later, the name change was approved, and the newly established Gangneung–Wonju National University, now with two campuses, formally reopened.
In response to the deepening demographic cliff and the sharp decline in the school-age population in South Korea during the 2020s, the university initiated merger talks with Kangwon National University. This plan was initially opposed by local communities and the Kangwon National University student council. However, the unification plan gained momentum after being selected for the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's Glocal University 30 project, paving the way for the launch of a newly integrated Kangwon National University.
Gangneung–Wonju National University Promotional Pavilion
The Gangneung–Wonju National University Promotional Pavilion opened in March 2013, with the dual purpose of promoting the university and fostering communication with the local community by providing small-scale performance facilities. Located in Gangneung, it operates as a distinct entity from the Gangneung-Wonju National University Museum, which houses the university's historical archives. The pavilion also serves as the final destination of the Hagiseubji-gil the 16th section of the Baugil trail, which commences at the university's Haeramji Lake.
President Park Duck-young, a professor from the College of Dentistry, serves as the university president, with his term scheduled to run until 2028.
Academic structure Undergraduate programs The undergraduate curriculum at GWNU is organized into departments, divisions, and majors under each college, with the primary objective of conferring bachelor's degrees.
The Gangneung Campus has seven colleges: the College of Humanities, College of Social Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, College of Life Sciences), College of Engineering), College of Arts and Sports), and College of Dentistry.
The Wonju Campus has two colleges: the College of Health and Welfare and the College of Science and Technology.
Graduate programs The graduate division of GWNU consists of one general graduate school and three specialized graduate schools. The departments offered in the general graduate school consist of 57 master's degree programs and 43 doctoral degree programs.
Student support and academic exchanges International exchanges The International Affairs Team at GWNU operates student exchange programs with its academic partner institutions. Students must meet specific academic credit and language proficiency requirements, while final admission decisions are made by the host institution. As of December 2022, GWNU maintained academic exchange agreements with 42 universities across 17 countries worldwide.
Domestic exchanges In accordance with national agreements on domestic inter-university student exchange and credit recognition, GWNU officially recognized regular semester credits earned at 22 partner institutions as of 2019. These included 17 member universities of the Council of presidents of National Core Universities, alongside Kangwon National University, the University of Science and Technology, Jeju National University, Chungnam National University, and Chungbuk National University.
Scholarships The university operates a variety of internal scholarship programs.
Status Reputation GWNU's research achievements in life sciences, specifically specializing in biotechnology, are recognized for introducing new paradigms to marine industries across Gangneung and the East Sea region.
The Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology includes GWNU among the 50 major research-oriented universities designated to conduct specialized research in the fields of natural sciences and engineering.
Established in 1992 as the 11th dental school in the nation to meet demand for dental professionals due to a nationwide shortage in the 1990s, the College of Dentistry and the Dental Hospital at GWNU had produced more than 700 dentists by 2019. Prior to the establishment of the Gangneung-Wonju National University Dental Hospital—the only dental hospital in Gangwon Province—the Yeongdong region lacked specialized dental care infrastructure. The institution regularly dispatches medical volunteer teams to countries such as Mongolia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Research activities GWNU maintains a research presence in the field of atmospheric sciences.