Gangwon (in Korean, Gangwon-do) is a province of South Korea, whose capital is located in Chuncheon. Before the 1945 division of Korea, Gangwon and its neighboring Kangwon (North Korea) formed a single province. The province was created in 1395, and its name derives from the names of the cities of Gangneung and Wonju, which was the provincial capital. In 1895, this division was replaced by the Districts of Chuncheon in the west, and Gangneun in the east; Wonju became a district of Chungju.

Gangwon came into existence when in 1896; Korea became divided into provinces, this time at 13, and reunited the two districts in the province of Gangwon. Although the city of Wonju became a part of Gangwon Province, the provincial capital was moved to Chuncheon, where it remains today. The division of Korea by the 38th parallel north in 1945 also affected the province of Gangwon, being divided into two zones of occupation, American and Soviet, to the south and north respectively.