Kangwon National University is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities in Gangwon, South Korea. Established as Kangwon Provincial Chuncheon Agricultural College in 1947 in Chuncheon, it extended to a comprehensive university in 1978.

nitially established as an agricultural college, Kangwon National University has steadily expanded to the comprehensive university encompassing a full spectrum of academic fields. KNU expanded in 1997 adding a medical degree program and in 2000 a University Hospital. A law school, now called 'Graduate School of Judicial Affairs', has been operated to the university's graduate schools in 2002, is the only laboratory school in South Korea, as a model for the very-early stage of 'reform on Korean legal system'. In 2006, KNU merged with Samcheok University, adding the colleges of Veterinary medicine and Information Technology to KNU's existing colleges. Since March 2, 2009, KNU operates a state-of-the-art professional Law School as one of the officially approved school by Korean Government.