Pyeongchang County

Pyeongchang
평창군
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul평창군
 • Hanja平昌郡
 • Revised RomanizationPyeongchang-gun
 • McCune-ReischauerP'yŏngch'ang-gun
Alpensia Resort and a wind farm in Pyeongchang
Etymology: "peaceful" or "flatland", "prosperity" or "flourishing"
Country South Korea
State Gangwon
Administrative divisions1 eup, 7 myeon
Area
 • Total
1,463.65 km2 (565.12 sq mi)
Population
 (September 2024)
 • Total
40,448
 • Density30/km2 (78/sq mi)
 • Dialect
Gangwon
Time zoneUTC+9

Pyeongchang (American English: /ˌpjʌŋˈɑːŋ/ pyung-CHAHNG, Korean: [pʰjʌŋtɕʰaŋ]; in full, Pyeongchang-gun [pʰjʌŋtɕʰaŋɡun]) is a county in the state of Gangwon, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about 180 km (110 mi) east southeast of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and connected by expressways and high-speed passenger railways. Pyeongchang's slogan, "Happy 700 Pyeongchang", is taken from its average elevation of approximately 700 metres (2,300 ft).

Pyeongchang hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2018 Winter Paralympics. It was officially rebranded as "PyeongChang" (with a capital 'C') for the purposes of the 2018 Games, in order to avoid confusion with Pyongyang in North Korea.