The Nampho Dam or West Sea Dam, also known as the West Sea Barrage or West Sea Lock Gate, is a

tidal barrage A tidal barrage is a dam-like structure used to capture the energy from masses of water moving in and out of a bay or river due to tidal forces. Instead of damming water on one side like a conventional dam, a tidal barrage allows water to flow ...

located 15 km west of the special city of

Nampho Nampo (North Korean official spelling: Nampho; ), also spelled Namp'o, is the second largest city by population and an important seaport in North Korea, which lies on the northern shore of the Taedong River, 15 km east of the river's mouth. ...

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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. It is a large, eight-km-long system of dams, three lock chambers, and 36 sluices, allowing the passage of ships up to 50,000 tons. The dam closes the

Taedong River The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthenin ...

off from 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 ter ...

. It was built by the

North Korean Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General ...

from 1981 to 1986, with the resources of the whole country directed to this main construction project. The West Sea Barrage Line runs over the dam. The stated goal of the dam was: * The prevention of

seawater Seawater, or salt water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has appr ...

intrusion into the fresh water, thus solving the water supply problem; * The irrigation of additional land, enlarging the arable territory of the region. The dam is considered a major accomplishment of North Korea,North Korea
, ''Travel the Whole World'', Retrieved 2011-05-03 and is a commonly seen backdrop for North Korean television news broadcasts from

Korean Central News Agency The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946 and now features onli ...

. It is also a popular stop for tour groups of international tourists, for whom there is a visitor centre on P'i Do Island where films are shown about the construction of the dam and the locks. The dam's estimated total cost was US$4 billion.Oh, Kong Dan & Ralph C. Hassig. ''North Korea Through the Looking Glass'', Brookings Institution Press, 2000, p53

Notes

a The term West Sea Gate or West Sea Lock are also used for a smaller dam located in Incheon, South Korea.

References

External links

Interactive Virtual Tour of Nampo Dam
* {{cite news, last1=Kristof, first1=Nicholas D., title=In North Korea, Dam Reflects 'Great Leader's' State of Mind, url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/05/world/in-north-korea-dam-reflects-great-leader-s-state-of-mind.html, work=The New York Times, date=5 July 1989 * North Korean propaganda film on the West Sea Barrage, via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

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Dams in North Korea South Pyongan Dams completed in 1986 Tidal barrages Buildings and structures in Nampo 1986 establishments in North Korea