Onsŏng County is a county (
''kun'') in
North Hamgyong 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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
, located near the border with
China. The administrative center is the town (
''ŭp'') of Onsong. Onsong is the alleged site of the former
Onsong concentration camp
The Onsong concentration camp was an internment camp in Changpyong, Onsong County, North Hamgyong, North Korea. It housed approximately 15,000 political prisoners. The camp was officially known as Concentration Camp (Kwan-li-so) No. 12.
Although ...
, now closed.
History
Onsong was one of the six post/garrisons () established under the order of
Sejong the Great of Joseon
Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...
(1418–1450) 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 M ...
.
Geography
Onsong lies along the
Tumen River
The Tumen River, also known as the Tuman River or Duman River (), is a long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea and Russia, rising on the slopes of Mount Paektu and flowing into the Sea of Japan. The river ha ...
, which forms the border with
China. To the north of Onsong is
Jilin
Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea ( Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...
Province, China. Onsong also contains the northernmost point in
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 ...
, at 43°0'39″ N.
Liangshui (), in
Tumen prefecture, is the closest Chinese town across the river.
The land of Onsong is mainly mountainous, although a part is flatland. It has a continental climate, and is the region of Korea with the longest winter, except the
Kaema Plateau. The highest peak is Yŏndubong.
Economy
Being mountainous in nature, Onsong is not well suited to agriculture. Ironically, however, it has the highest ratio of rice paddies to dry fields of any district in
North Hamgyong Province. Logging is prevalent in the Tumen River basin.
Lignite coal is also produced.
Transportation
Onsong is served by roads and railroads. In winter, it is also possible to cross the frozen
Tumen River
The Tumen River, also known as the Tuman River or Duman River (), is a long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea and Russia, rising on the slopes of Mount Paektu and flowing into the Sea of Japan. The river ha ...
into China.
Onsong has a 4 km long, single overhead bidirectional trolleybus line linking from the railway station to the Wangjaesan Grand Monument, although no trolleybuses are observed on the line since at least 2004. The overhead is nonetheless at least appearing to be in a good condition. The system formerly had two Jipsan 88 trolleybuses, though they were converted from the similar, but unrelated Jipsan 88 bus.
Administrative divisions
Onsŏng County is divided into 1 town ("Ŭp"), 10 worker's districts ("Rodongjagu") and 15 villages ("Ri"):
Notables personalities
*Yang Dae-su ()
*
Shin Rip
Sin Rip (sometimes romanized as Shin Rip or Shin Rib) (Hangul: 신립, Hanja: 申砬; 16 November 1546 – 7 June 1592) was a Korean general and a member of the Pyeongsan Sin clan.
He passed the Korean national military examinations at the age of ...
(), the prefect of Onsong (), before the
Imjin War
The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...
*Jung You-ji ()
*Choi Gwan ()
*Go Gyung-jin ()
*Hyok Kang, the author of the autobiographical ''
This is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood''
References
External links
Location of the four forts and the six posts*
{{coord, 42, 57, 20, N, 129, 59, 30, E, display=title
Counties of North Hamgyong
China–North Korea border crossings