Pukch'ang County is a
''kun'' (county) in
South P'yŏngan
South Pyongan Province (Phyŏngannamdo; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Pyongan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its ca ...
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 ...
.
History
In 1952, Pukchang County was formed from the former area of
Maengsan County
Maengsan County is a ''kun'' (county) in South P'yŏngan, 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 an ...
and
Tokchon
Tŏkch'ŏn () is a ''si'', or city, in northern South P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It is bordered by Nyŏngwŏn and Maengsan to the east, Kujang county in North P'yŏngan province to the north, Kaech'ŏn to the west and Pukch'ang to the s ...
. Since then, the county has been changed multiple times by merging in or transferring out some areas.
In January 2000,
Tukchang district was abolished and transferred to Pukchang County.
However, the district reappeared in the
2008 North Korea Census.
Environment
Pukchang County is located in a mountainous area. On the northern border with Tokchon runs the east-west Jangan mountain range. On the southern border with
Unsan County, South Pyongan
Ŭnsan County is a ''kun'' (county) in South P'yŏngan province, North Korea.Road map of Korea, North and South, published December 2010 by Freytag and Berndt, Vienna, Austria,
Administrative divisions
Ŭnsan county is divided into 1 '' ŭp'' ( ...
, the Chonsong mountain range also runs east-west. In the west of the county is the
Mount Myohyang
The Mount Myohyang (Hangul: 묘향산 - "''Mysterious Fragrant Mountain''") is a mountain in North Korea. It is named after the mystic shapes and fragrances found in the area. It is a sacred site as, according to legend, it was the home of Kin ...
range. Around 80% of the county is forest.
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: Strengthening ...
runs through the county.
Administrative divisions
The district is split 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), 4 ''rodongjagu'' (worker districts) and 21
ri (villages):
Economy
Built in the 1960s with Soviet assistance, Pukchang has the power station with the highest generating capacity in North Korea, with the Pukchang Thermal Power Complex having a generation capacity of 1600 MW, reached in December 1984. According to official statistics in 2009, it generated on average 1100 MW throughout the year. Different estimates puts the generating capacity at only 500 MW. The power plant suffered issues due to the low quality
fuel oil
Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...
provided by the USA under the
Agreed Framework
The Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (북미제네바기본합의서) was signed on 21 October 1994, between North Korea (DPRK) and the United States. The objective of the agreeme ...
, which had a high sulfur content and thus would cause significant damage to the boilers. While an apparent replacement power plant with a capacity of 300 MW was being built in
Kangdong County
Kangdong County, is one of Pyongyang's two suburban counties. In 1983 it was separated from South P'yongan Province and assumed direct governance by the Pyongyang City People's Committee. It is bordered by Sŏngch'ŏn-gun (Songchon County), South ...
starting in 2014 due to aging of Pukchang Thermal Power Complex, the project appears to have stalled. It draws water from 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: Strengthening ...
.
In December 12, 2018, an extension to the Pukchang Thermal Power Complex was inaugurated, likely as a result of an order of
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...
, calling for a 'drastic increase in thermal power generation'. According to
Nknews sources, various cities had a marked improvement in electricity supply in 2018, although rural areas mostly relied on
solar panel
A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...
s. The complex manufactures its own spare parts, such as turbine blades.
The county has a large number of coal mines, producing high quality coal, which supports the thermal power complex. Various other
light industry
Light industry are industries that usually are less capital-intensive than heavy industry and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consumer goods. Most light industry products are produced for ...
exist in the county along with a number of farms, producing vegetables and raising animals.
The Pukchang Aluminum Factory, North Korea's only
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...
and
alloying
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility ...
plant has been condemned for releasing toxic dust over neighboring communities including offices, schools, homes, and businesses. The product of filters unreplaced since its construction in 1983, residents from the nearby community report high rates of
birth defects
A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can ...
,
dermatitis
Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can v ...
, and
respiratory disease
Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathology, pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in Breathing, air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the t ...
contributing to an average
life expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
short of mid-50s. The "Class 1"-designated factory manufactures aluminum for North Korean missiles and
centrifuges
A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to separate various components of a fluid. This is achieved by spinning the fluid at high speed within a container, thereby separating fluids of different densities (e.g. cream from milk) or l ...
.
Transport
The
Pyongdok Line
The P'yŏngdŏk Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the Korean State Railway in North Korea running from Taedonggang Station in P'yŏngyang, where it connects to the P'yŏngbu, P'yŏngnam, P'yŏngra and P'yŏngŭi Lines, to ...
and Its branches, the
Tukchang Line and
Taegon Line
The Taegŏn Line is an electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway in South P'yŏngan Province, North Korea.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 88, It runs from Sillyŏnp'o Station on t ...
passes through the county.
Roads connecting
Pyongsong
Pyongsong (, , officially Phyongsong) is a city in North Korea, the capital city of South Pyongan province in western North Korea. The city is located about 32 kilometres northeast of Pyongyang, and was formally established in December 1969. It ha ...
and
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 ...
,
Kumya and Pukchang,
Tokchon
Tŏkch'ŏn () is a ''si'', or city, in northern South P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It is bordered by Nyŏngwŏn and Maengsan to the east, Kujang county in North P'yŏngan province to the north, Kaech'ŏn to the west and Pukch'ang to the s ...
and Pukchang run through the county.
References
External links
*
Map of Pyongan provinces*
{{coord missing, North Korea
Counties of South Pyongan