View source for Yongpyong Resort

{{Short description|Ski resort in South Korea}}
{{Infobox Korean name
| image  = Winter 2014 Candidate City- PyeongChang Dragon Valley ski resort.jpg
| image_size = 220
| hangul = 용평리조트
| hanja  = 龍平리조트
| rr     = Yongpyeong Rijoteu
| mr     = Yongp'yŏng Rijot'ŭ
}}
{{Location map
|South Korea
|relief     = 1
|label      = <small>Yongpyong</small>
|lat        = 37.645
|long       = 128.681
|caption    = Location in [[South Korea]]
|float      = 
|background= 
|width      = 230
|marksize   = 5
|position   = left
}}
[[File:Pyeongchang 2018 Logo.svg|180px|thumb|2018 Winter Olympics logo]]
'''Yongpyong (Dragon Valley) Ski Resort''' is a [[ski resort]] in [[South Korea]], located in [[Daegwallyeong-myeon]], [[Pyeongchang]], [[Gangwon Province, South Korea|Gangwon Province]]. It is the largest ski and snowboard resort in Korea,<ref>{{cite news|last=Yoon|first=Chul|title=7 best ski and snowboard resorts in Korea|url=http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/play/7-best-ski-resorts-korea-103896|access-date=3 June 2012|newspaper=CNN Go|date=27 December 2011|archive-date=11 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511195123/http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/play/7-best-ski-resorts-korea-103896|url-status=dead}}</ref> and offers [[golf]] in the summer months.

In 2003, Segye Ilbo, which is owned by the [[Unification Church]], bought Yongpyong Resort.

Yongpyong is currently owned by the [[Unification Church]] (the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity), a new religious movement founded by [[Sun Myung Moon]], through the [[Tongil Group]].<ref>[http://www.tongilgroup.org/eng/sub03/sub03_6.html Yongpyong Resort] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914055355/http://www.tongilgroup.org/eng/sub03/sub03_6.html |date=September 14, 2012 }}, Tongil Group</ref> [[Yongpyeong-myeon]], a nearby township (''myeon''), is not related to the resort.

The ski season runs from November to early April. It has 31 slopes such as Yellow, Mega Green, Pink, Red, New Red, Blue, Red Paradise, Silver, Silver Paradise, Gold Valley, Gold Fantastic, Gold Paradise, New Gold, Rainbows 1,2,3 and 4, Rainbow Paradise, 15 different lift facilities, including one [[Gondola lift|gondola]] at a length of {{convert|3.7|km|abbr=on}}, and Korea's largest ski house (Dragon Plaza).<ref>[http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/kangwon/48 Life in Korea] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810074640/http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/kangwon/48 |date=August 10, 2011 }}</ref>

The [[elevation]] at the base area is at approximately {{convert|770|m|round=5}} above [[sea level]], and the lift-served summit at Dragon Zone is at {{convert|1458|m|abbr=on}}.

==Events==
Yongpyong Resort has hosted men's [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|World Cup]] technical events in four seasons ([[1997–98 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|1998]], [[1999–2000 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|2000]], [[2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2003]], [[2005–06 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|2006]]) with [[giant slalom]] on the Rainbow 1 slope and [[Slalom skiing|slalom]] on {{nowrap|Rainbow 3.<ref name=fisypko>{{cite web |url=https://data.fis-ski.com/global-links/statistics/overview-top-ranked-in-all-competitions.html?&category=WC&sector=AL&place=Yongpyong&gender=ALL |website=FIS-ski.com |title=Yongpyong, KOR |agency=(World Cup) |access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref>}} It was one of the three main sites of the [[1999 Asian Winter Games]] which were hosted by Gangwon.  It was the site of the [[IPC Disabled Alpine World Cup]] and the [[Biathlon World Championships 2009|2009 Biathlon World Championships]], although the event was marred by lack of snow due to an unseasonable warmth, and criticized for poor spectator attendance.

Yongpyong hosted the technical alpine skiing events for the [[Alpine skiing at the 2018 Winter Olympics|2018 Winter Olympics]] and [[2018 Winter Paralympics|Paralympics]] in [[Pyeongchang]]. It was also part of the unsuccessful bids for the [[2010 Winter Olympics|2010]] and [[2014 Winter Olympics]] (missing out to [[Vancouver]] and [[Sochi]], respectively). With a greater vertical drop, [[Jeongseon Alpine Centre]] was developed to host the alpine speed events of [[Downhill (ski competition)|Downhill]], [[Super-G]], and [[Alpine skiing combined|Combined]].

The capacity of the venue for these events is 12,000 (4,500 seats / 7,500 standing).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://2018winterolympicswiki.com/yongpyong-alpine-centre-pyeongchang-2018-venue/75/ |title=Yongpyong Alpine Centre : PyeongChang 2018 Venue |access-date=2017-12-08 |archive-date=2018-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313000611/http://2018winterolympicswiki.com/yongpyong-alpine-centre-pyeongchang-2018-venue/75/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

==In media==
Some scenes of the 2002 [[Korean Broadcasting System]] drama ''[[Winter Sonata]]'' were filmed at the resort.

The resort was also used as a filming location for 2013 [[Seoul Broadcasting System]] drama ''[[That Winter, the Wind Blows]]''. The filming, during a two nights and three days film shoot at the Resort, was featured  in a pictorial in Issue 97 March 2013 edition of fashion magazine, ''High Cut'', with lead actors [[Jo In-sung]] and [[Song Hye-kyo]] featured on the cover.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hong|first=Grace Danbi|title=''That Winter, The Wind Blows'' Gets Beautifully Captured on High Cut|url=http://enewsworld.interest.me/enews/contents.asp?idx=30879|access-date=8 April 2013|newspaper=enewsWorld|date=8 March 2013|agency=CJ E&M|archive-date=3 July 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130703030851/http://enewsworld.interest.me/enews/contents.asp?idx=30879|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was also featured in the Korean drama [[Guardian: The Lonely and Great God|Goblin]] (2016–17) and the Korean drama [[Sad Love Story]] (2005).

==Facilities==
Also contained at Yongpyong Resort is an indoor water park named Peak Island.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Jean H. |title=PyeongChang: Your guide to South Korea's ski culture |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/skiing-south-korea-pyeongchang/index.html |access-date=17 October 2023 |work=CNN |date=8 February 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Yongpyong Ski Resort}}
* {{official website|http://www.yongpyong.co.kr/eng/index.do}} – ''{{in lang|en}}''
<!--http://web.archive.org/web/20051107093109/http://www.yongpyong.co.kr:80/eng/index.asp}}-->
*[https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/venues/yongpyong-alpine-centre PyeongChang 2018] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228052723/https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/venues/yongpyong-alpine-centre |date=2018-02-28 }} – ''{{in lang|en}}''
*[http://data.fis-ski.com/alpine-skiing/results.html?place_search=Yongpyong&seasoncode_search=all&sector_search=AL&date_search=&gender_search=&category_search=WC&codex_search=&nation_search=&disciplinecode_search=&date_from=01&search=Search&limit=50 FIS-ski.com] – World Cup events
*[https://skimap.org/SkiAreas/view/1217 Skimap.org] – Yongpyong

{{2018 Winter Olympic venues|state=autocollapse}}
{{Olympic venues alpine skiing}}
{{coord|37.645|N|128.681|E|source:nlwiki_region:KR_scale:50000|display=title}}

[[Category:Tourist attractions in Pyeongchang County]]
[[Category:Ski areas and resorts in South Korea]]
[[Category:Venues of the 2018 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic alpine skiing venues]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Pyeongchang County]]
[[Category:Unification Church affiliated organizations]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1999 Asian Winter Games]]