Hamgyong Province () was one of the Eight Provinces of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

during the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was

Hamhŭng Hamhŭng (''Hamhŭng-si''; ) is North Korea's second-largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyŏng Province. It has an estimated population of 768,551. Located in the southern part of the South Hamgyong province, Hamhung is the main and most p ...

Names

The province was first established as Yonggil ( ko, 영길, , ''Yŏnggil'') in 1413. It was renamed Hamgil (, ) three years later. In 1470, it was renamed Yongan (, , ''Yŏngan''). In 1509, it was renamed Hamgyong after its two principal cities,

Hamhung Hamhŭng (''Hamhŭng-si''; ) is North Korea's second-largest List of cities in North Korea, city, and the capital of South Hamgyong, South Hamgyŏng Province. It has an estimated population of 768,551. Located in the southern part of the South Ham ...

(, , ''Hamhŭng'', "Complete Success") and

Kyongsong Kyŏngsŏng County is a ''kun'', or county, on the central coast of North Hamgyong, North Korea. The administrative center is located in Kyŏngsŏng-ŭp. Geography To the west and southwest, Kyŏngsŏng is flanked by mountains, while to the ea ...

(, , ''Kyŏngsŏng'', "Mirror," "Clear," or "Perceptive City"). In the 18th century, this was transcribed via

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

as Kyen-king and glossed as meaning "the Happy". In the 19th century, it was transcribed as Ham-kieng. Within Korea, the province was also referred to by the regional name Dongbuk ("Northeast"). the southern half of the province was also referred as "

Kwannam Kwannam () is a traditional Korean term used to refer to the southern region of Hamgyong province, including portions of modern-day North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong, North Korea. Its literal meaning is "South of the Ridge", the ridge (Korean, '' ...

", the northern half of the province was also referred as "

Kwanbuk Kwanbuk is a region in North Hamgyong Province of North Korea. The region may once have been occupied by the Okjeo people. It was later controlled by Goguryeo and then Balhae, and subsequently contested by Goryeo and the Jin dynasty. Its litera ...

History

Korea's northeastern frontier was first organized into the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of Yonggil in 1413. In 1895, the province was replaced by the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

(, , ''bu'') of Kyongsong in the northeast,

Kapsan Kapsan County is a ''kun'', or county, in Ryanggang Province, North Korea. During the Chosŏn Dynasty, officials who had fallen into disfavour were often sent into internal exile there. Geography Kapsan lies on the eastern edge of the Kaema Pl ...

(, ) in the northwest, and Hamhŭng in the south. In 1896, Kyŏngsŏng District was reorganized into North Hamgyŏng Province, and Kapsan and Hamhŭng Districts were reorganized into South Hamgyŏng Province. These divisions continue in present-day

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 ...

Geography

Hamgyŏng was bounded on the west by

P'yŏngan Pyeong-an Province (, ) was one of Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Pyeong'an was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Pyeongyang (now Pyongyang, North Korea). History Pyeong'an Province was formed in ...

, on the south by

Hwanghae Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...

and Kangwŏn, on the east by the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

, and on the north by

Qing China The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...

and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* . * .

External links

Seoul City history article on Hanseong and 22 other late 19th-century districts (in Korean)
{{Authority control Provinces of Korea Joseon dynasty