[Gangwon Farmers' Newspaper, Reporter Kim Young-min] Gangwon Province was once a frontier for apple cultivation. Until 2010, Gangwon Province's share of the national apple cultivation area was less than 1%, at 0.7%. After that, its share of the cultivation area increased to 3.6% in 2020 and then to 5.2% in 2024. During the same period, the cultivation area increased by 55.5%, from 1,124 hectares to 1,748 hectares. According to survey data from researcher Choi Ik-chang of the Gangwon Research Institute, the share of apple cultivation businesses in Gangwon Province is second to Jeongseon County at 11.5%, followed by Hongcheon County at 10.9%. This trend shows that Gangwon Province is no less advantageous as a suitable area for apple cultivation.