Kyŏnghŭng County is a ''kun'', or county, in
North Hamgyong
North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province.
Geography
The province is bordered by China (Jilin) on the north, ...
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 ...
. Formerly known as Ŭndŏk County (), from 1977 to 2010.
The county borders the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
to the northeast. With the exception of the southwest, it is dominated by low hills, with occasional plains. The highest point is
Songjinsan (). The dominant river is the
Tumen, which separates the county from China. The level ground along the Tumen is developed, but approximately 80% of the county is forested.
Mining, particularly
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
, is the chief industry in Undok, where
lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
is found; Undok is the site of the Aoji Coal Mine. In addition, farming and livestock raising are widespread. The chief crops are maize, rice, soybeans, and potatoes. The
Aoji-ri Chemical Complex
The Aoji-ri Chemical Complex is a large industrial complex in Haksong-ri (formerly Aoji-ri), Kyŏnghŭng county, South P'yŏngan province, North Korea, which produces about 51 different products, including methane (35,000 tons per year), ammonia ( ...
is located in the county as well.
Undok lies on the
Hambuk Line
The Hambuk Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the Korean State Railway in North Korea, running from Ch'ŏngjin) on the P'yŏngra Line to Rajin, likewise on the P'yŏngra line.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama n ...
and
Hoeam Line
The Hoeam Line is a non-electrified secondary line of the Korean State Railway in Kyŏnghŭng County, North Hamgyŏng province, North Korea, running from Haksong on the Hambuk Line to Obong.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama n ...
railroads.
History
Under
Joseon
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 ...
period "Kyunghung", the ancient name of Undok, was one of the six post/garrisons () establish under the order of King
Sejong the Great of Joseon
Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean language, Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean language, Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of th ...
in 1433, to safeguard his people from the hostile Chinese and Manchurian nomads living in
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...
Notable personalities
*Lee Gyung-Rok () the prefect of Kyŏnghŭng ()
Administrative divisions
Kyŏnghŭng County is divided into 1 town ("Ŭp") 12 villages ("Ri") and 3 worker's districts ("Rodongjagu").
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 ...
*
Tumen River Bridge
The Tumen River Bridge () is a bridge over the Tumen River, connecting Hunchun City, Jilin Province, China, with Sonbong County, Rason, North Korea. It was built in 1938 by the Japanese Empire and is long and wide. It is located at Quanhedao ...
External links
Location of the four forts and the six posts*
{{coord missing, North Korea
Counties of North Hamgyong