Chŏngju (; also Jŏngju) is a
''si'', or city, in southern
North P'yŏngan
North Pyongan Province (Phyŏnganbukto; , also spelled North P'yŏngan), is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, th ...
province,
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. Prior to 1994, it was designated as a ''kun'' or county. The terrain is mostly level, but mountainous in the north. To the south lies the
Chŏngju Plain, where the hills do not rise above . Chŏngju also includes approximately 10 islands in the
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...
.
Geography
Some 40 percent of Chŏngju is covered by coniferous forestland.
Administrative divisions
Chŏngju is divided into 14 ''
tong Tong may refer to:
Chinese
*Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese
*Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities
*''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...
'' (neighbourhoods) and 18 ''
ri'' (villages):
Economy
Local agriculture is dominated by orcharding and rice farming; the chestnuts of this region are especially famous.
Transportation
The city is served by both road and rail; it is the junction point of the
P'yŏngŭi and
P'yŏngbuk lines of the
Korean State Railway
The Korean State Railway (), commonly called the State Rail () is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun Song.
History
1945–195 ...
.
Politics
In February 2011, the city and others in North P'yŏngan had rare protests, of a few score of people, calling for adequate provision of rice and power. At the time, news of the
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...
was spreading via Chinese TV channels and phone calls with defectors.
Can the 'Jasmine Revolution' Spread to N.Korea?
Chosun Ilbo, 23 February 2011
Notable people
*Baek Seok
Baek Seok (born Paek Ki-haeng; July 1, 1912 - January 7, 1996) was a Korean poet.
He was born in Chŏngju in North Pyongan, and started his journalist career at ''Chosun Ilbo'' in 1934. He published his first poem "Chŏngju Fortress" (정주 ...
*Hong Yun-suk
Hong Yun-Suk (1925 in Chongju, North Pyongan Province, Korea – 12 December 2015) was considered one of the leading Korean female poets of her generation. She is also known by her pen name YeoSa (Beautiful Story).
Life
Although born in North ...
* Kim Ok
* Ki-baik Lee
*Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon (; born Yong Myung Moon; 6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the Unif ...
*Pang Chol-mi
Pang Chol-mi (born 26 August 1994) is a North Korean boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer ...
*Yi Kwang-su
Yi Gwangsu (; 1892–1950) was a Korean writer and poet, and a notable Korean independence and nationalist activist until his later turn towards collaboration with the Japanese. His pen names were Chunwon and Goju. Yi is best known for his nove ...
*T.K. Seung
T. K. Seung was a Korean American philosopher and literary critic. His academic interests cut across diverse philosophical and literary subjects, including ethics, political philosophy, Continental philosophy, cultural hermeneutics, and literar ...
See also
*Geography of North Korea
North Korea is located in East Asia in the Northern half of Korea, partially on the Korean Peninsula. It borders three countries: China along the Yalu (Amnok) River, Russia along the Tumen River, and South Korea to the south.
Topography and dra ...
*Administrative divisions of North Korea
The administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. These divisions were created in 2002. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces and fou ...
* List of cities in North Korea
The important cities of North Korea have self-governing status equivalent to that of provinces. Pyongyang, the largest city and capital, is classified as a chikhalsi (Special cities of North Korea, capital city), while three cities (see the list ...
*North Pyongan
North Pyongan Province (Phyŏnganbukto; , also spelled North P'yŏngan), is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, th ...
*Battle of Chongju (1950)
The Battle of Chongju (29–30 October 1950) took place during the United Nations Command (UN) offensive towards the Yalu River, which followed the North Korean invasion of South Korea at the start of the Korean War. The battle was fought betwee ...
*Chongju Chongnyon station
Chŏngju Ch'ŏngnyŏn Station is a railway station in Yŏkchŏn-dong, Chŏngju city, North P'yŏngan Province, North Korea. It is the junction of the P'yŏngŭi and P'yŏngbuk lines of the Korean State Railway.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄 ...
References
Further reading
*Dormels, Rainer. North Korea's Cities: Industrial facilities, internal structures and typification. Jimoondang, 2014.
External links
*
City profile of Jongju
{{North Pyongan
Cities in North Pyongan