Venue

Located in Gyo-dong, Gangneung Station is the final stop of both the Yeongdong and Gyeonggang railway lines. Opened in 1962, Gangneung Station later became the final stop after Gyeongpodae Station closed in 1979. Since then, the station has long served as a central transportation hub for the region. It played a vital role in connecting Gangneung and its neighboring cities, as well as linking the East Sea to the capital city of Seoul.

angneung transformed quickly with the opening of the KTX Gyeonggang Line for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, reducing the travel time from Seoul to under two hours. From that point on, Gangneung station was no longer just a terminal, but a gateway that shaped the city’s first impression as an emblematic landmark. Positioned at the crossroad of nearby districts like Ponam-dong and Okcheon-dong, the station also lies within reach of Gangneung’s key cultural sites, including the Gangneung Danoje Festival, Seongyojang, Gyeongpodae, Ojukheon, and Jeongdongjin. For many visitors, Gangneung Station is the first step into the city for many visitors.

At the Gangneung International Art Festival 2025 (GIAF25), Gangneung Station took on a role far beyond that of a transport node. It became the first site where the festival unfolded. It embodied the spirit of GIAF25’s theme, Esiza, Osiza—a call to gather all beings of heaven and earth—serving as the opening scene to a larger narrative. The station thus inherited the symbolic role once held by Daegwallyeong Ridge—not only a gateway into Gangneung, but a new threshold for connection and exchange.

KIM JAE HYEON