Kŭmgang County is a
''kun'', or county, in
Kangwŏn 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 ...
. Kŭmgang lies immediately north of the
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ha ...
. It was formed in 1952 from a portion of
Hoeyang County
Hoeyang County is a ''kun'', or county, in Kangwŏn province, North Korea. It was established in a general reorganization of local government in 1952.
Geography
The county's area is primarily mountainous, with the Taebaek and Kwangju ranges bot ...
and from those sections of
Yanggu, and
Rinje counties that remained under Northern control after the armistice. The county takes its name from the
Mount Kŭmgang, which is partially located there. The county seat, Kŭmgang-ŭp, was formerly called Malhwi-ri.
Geography
The
Taebaek Mountains
The Taebaek Mountains are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula.
Geography
The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run along ...
pass through the county, reaching their highest point in the
Pirobong peak of Kumgangsan. Approximately 85% of the county's area is forestland. Major local streams include the
Kŭmgangch'ŏn and
Tonggŭmgangch'ŏn.
Administrative divisions
Kŭmgang county is divided into 1 ''
ŭp
An ''eup'' or ''ŭp'' () is an administrative unit in both North Korea and South Korea similar to the unit of town.
In South Korea
Along with "Myeon (administrative division), myeon", an "eup" is one of the divisions of a county ("County#Kore ...
'' (town) and 26 ''
ri'' (villages):
Economy
The chief local industry is agriculture, with rice and maize the dominant crops. However, arable land takes up only 8.5% of the county's area. Manufacturing and livestock raising also contribute to the local economy. Mining is supported by deposits of gold, tungsten, and quartz.
See also
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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 ...
*
Kangwon (North Korea)
Kangwon Province (Kangwŏndo; ) is a province of North Korea, with its capital at Wŏnsan. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Kangwŏn Province and its South Korean neighbour Gangwon Province (also spelled ''Kangwon Province'' sometimes) f ...
*
Kumgangsan
Mount Kumgang () or the Kumgang Mountains is a mountain massif, with a peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province, and is part of the ...
External links
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{{coord missing, North Korea
Counties of Kangwon Province (North Korea)