"Cool Even Without AC" Amid Extreme Heat: Where Is This 'Land Above the Clouds'?

As extreme heat grips most parts of the country, Anbandegi in Daegi-ri, Wangsan-myeon, Gangneung, Gangwon Province—situated at an average elevation of over 1,100 meters—is drawing attention as a summer retreat.

Speaking to reporters at Anbandegi on the afternoon of the 6th, a man and a woman in their 30s visiting to escape the heat said, "We originally went to Gyeongpo Beach to cool off, but the sunlight on the sandy beach was too intense, so we came back up to Anbandegi. It is really cool here." They added, "A cool breeze is blowing, so we turned off the car air conditioner and rolled down all the windows."

"Even our eyes and hearts feel refreshed by the all-green vegetable field landscape," they added, busy taking photos.

While downtown areas sweltered under intense heat, with a severe heat wave warning issued for parts of Gangwon Province, including Chuncheon and Hongcheon, as of 11:00 a.m. that day, temperatures at Anbandegi maintained a comfortable 26 to 28 degrees Celsius (79 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit).

A gentle, cool breeze blew, and occasional rolling clouds and fog shielded visitors from the harsh sunlight.

Open spaces, including the parking lot in front of the Anbandegi cafe, were filled with around 10 vehicles carrying people seeking the cool highland breeze.

A visitor surnamed Kim, who brought his mother, said, "There wasn't heavy vehicle traffic on the roads running between the vegetable fields, so we took a walk while looking at the cabbage fields and wind turbines. It wasn't too hot at all, making it just right for walking with my mother."

Anbandegi, the nation's largest alpine vegetable farming complex, currently features sprawling, light-green vegetable fields spanning approximately 2 million square meters.

With large wind turbines humming endlessly and cabbages and napa cabbages growing vigorously, this area is favored as a summer getaway thanks to its exotic highland scenery and pleasant temperatures.

Anbandegi is a place that slash-and-burn farmers began cultivating starting in 1965 after the Korean War while receiving grain aid from the United States, preserving the lives, sorrows, culture, and history of these farmers.

It received its name because the terrain is shaped somewhat hollow yet flat, resembling an anban, the wooden board used as a base when pounding rice cake dough with a mallet.

In recent years, it has also gained attention not only as a spot to view the magnificent expanse of green land, but also as a stargazing destination for observing the night sky, a sunrise photography location with cabbage fields as a backdrop, and a snowy landscape spot to enjoy white winter scenery.

The Anbandegi alpine cabbage production complex is a representative shipping source that accounts for a large portion of domestic cabbage supplies during the summer.

However, due to the characteristics of the highland region, the access roads are very narrow and steep, and parking space is limited, requiring slow driving and careful attention on weekends.

To prevent damage to crops, visitors must follow essential etiquette such as refraining from trespassing into the vegetable fields and taking all trash with them.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.