Gangneung Stadium

The Gangneung stadium sits above the flat coastal plain, but the immediate surroundings are dominated by the infrastructure of the 2018 Winter Olympics. The ice hockey centre looms just over a hill, a reminder of the city's global moment. Yet this ground belongs to the summer. The floodlight towers are the most striking feature, tall white latticework structures that look like stylised trees reaching for the sky. They are not standard lighting rigs; they give the stadium a silhouette you could recognise anywhere in the region.

The pitch is green, laid out inside a wide red running track that curves around the stands. One side of the bowl is covered by a roof fitted with solar panels, while the other sections are open to the elements. The seats are not uniform; they are arranged in blocks of red, blue, and yellow, creating a patchwork effect when viewed from above. The blue track in the foreground of the main photograph stands out against the red, marking a distinct boundary between the field of play and the spectator area.

Gangwon FC play their home games here, and the atmosphere can change depending on the opponent. A sell-out crowd for a promotion playoff is a different beast from a mid-table fixture. The stadium was rebuilt in the mid-2010s, stripping away the old standing terraces for a modern, safer configuration. It hosts both league matches and occasional cup ties, including games against bigger clubs from Seoul. The official name now includes High1, a local ski resort, though most people still call it by its old name. It is a place where the sea is visible in the distance, but the focus remains on the games played on the grass. The track ensures that even on days when the football is quiet, the venue has a pulse.