Samjiyŏn is a city in Ryanggang 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 ...

. It takes its name from three lakes in the city, which are collectively known as the Samjiyŏn. Samjiyŏn is situated near Mount Paektu, and tour groups fly to the city's airport to see the mountain, which holds significance in North Korean mythology. Many houses and buildings in Samjiyŏn have been upgraded in recent decades, and many new buildings, including a recreational centre for youths, were finished in 2005. Popular activities in Samjiyŏn are skiing and various activities for schoolchildren, who use the surrounding area of Mt. Paektu for various scouting-like operations in conjunction with school-led vacations or outings. In December 2019,

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 ...

opened a completed expansion of the existing township, described by state media as a "modern" city with residences and industrial parks. The city was known as a county until the decision of an upgraded its status in December 2019. The modernization of Samjiyon City is to also help boost tourism to North Korea (DPRK).

Administrative divisions

Samjiyŏn is divided into 10 ''dong'' (neighborhoods) and 6 ''ri'' (villages):

Transportation

Air

Samjiyŏn is served by the

Korean People's Air Force The Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force (KPAAF; ; Hanja: 朝鮮人民軍航空 및 反航空軍 ) is the unified military aviation force of North Korea. It is the second largest branch of the Korean People's Army comprising an estimated ...

along with the national flag carrier

Air Koryo Air Koryo () is the state-owned national airline of North Korea, headquartered in Sunan-guyŏk, Pyongyang. Based at Pyongyang International Airport (IATA: FNJ), it operates international scheduled and charter services to points in Asia. Histo ...

which operates scheduled flights and charter services between Samjiyŏn and

P'yŏngyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population ...

Wŏnsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

and

Ch'ŏngjin Chŏngjin (; ) is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province (함경북도) and the country's third largest city. It is sometimes called the ''City of Iron''. History Prehistory According to archaeological findings near the lower ...

. In 2005, the airport was closed due to major renovations, which were partially underwritten by the

Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai ...

corporation.

Rail

Samjiyŏn city is served by the narrow-gauge

Samjiyŏn Line Samjiyŏn Line is the name of a railway line of the Korean State Railway in Ryanggang Province, North Korea, running from Wiyŏn on the Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line to Motka. The name is applied both to the original narrow gauge line built in 194 ...

of the

Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway (), commonly called the State Rail () is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun Song. History 1945–195 ...

. Construction of a new, standard-gauge line from the

Pukbunaeryuk Line The Pukbunaeryuk Line, also called the Hyesan–Manp'o Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line after the only completed stage of three planned stages, is an electrified standard-gauge secondary trunk line of the Korean State Railway in Chagang and Ryanggang Provinces ...

at Hyesan to Samjiyŏn is underway since 2008, with 80% of the roadbed and 70% of lineside structures being complete as of June 2015; the new terminus station is to be at Chunghŭng-ri, Samjiyŏn city.

Hyesan No.1/Wangdŏk Railway Station

The current presidential train station is located near Ŭihwa-ri in Poch'ŏn county, Ryanggang, in a very narrow gorge, making aerial attack difficult. The facilities of this station are much more sophisticated than the nearby civilian

Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Station Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn station is the central railway station of Hyesan city, located in the Ch'un-dong neighbourhood of greater Hyesan city, Ryanggang Province, Ryanggang province, North Korea. A large station with seven tracks, it is the junction p ...

. Officially called Hyesan No.1 Railway Station, it is commonly known as Wangdŏk Station due to the original 1985 station having been built only from Wangdŏk. The first station was built in 1985, but as it was easily viewed from China, in 1989 it was destroyed and moved to a second site, north of the current third site. However, on inspecting the completed facilities, Kim Il-sung deemed it unsuitable, as it was in view of China's mountains. Ordering a third rebuild, the second station was taken over by the Samjiyŏn Precision Machinery Factory (the No. 95 Munitions Factory) after completion of the current, third site, in 1992. This third station is located directly on the

Paektu Mountain Tourist Road Paektu Mountain (), also known as Baekdu Mountain and in China as Changbai Mountain ( zh, s=长白山, t=長白山; Manchu: Golmin Šanggiyan Alin), is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. At , it is the highest mo ...

, which gives direct access to Kim Il-sung's palace compound. 20 civilian personnel and two military squads protect the area immediately around the station. During the annual presidential visit in July or August, the entire civilian population is employed to clean the transportation system and local environment.

Tourism

Laika ac Samjiyon Grand Monument (7998446015)

The

Samjiyon Grand Monument Samjiyŏn is a city in Ryanggang Province, North Korea. It takes its name from three lakes in the city, which are collectively known as the Samjiyŏn. Samjiyŏn is situated near Mount Paektu, and tour groups fly to the city's airport to see th ...

consists of four groups of sculptures called ''On the Battlefield'', ''Fatherland'', ''Longing'', and ''Forwards''.

Presidential palaces

Samjiyŏn has been a holiday resort and destination for two presidents of North Korea. Both Kim Il-sung and

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...

have established palaces and compounds in the area, accessed by a specially developed and exclusive railway station for the presidential train.

Climate

Samjiyon has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

transitioning into a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Dwc/Dwb'') with cool summers and cold, dry winters.

Sport

It has one of the three speed skating ovals in the country.

References

External links

North Korea Uncovered
, (North Korea Google Earth) a Google Earth map of most of Samjiyŏn's monuments, tourist facilities, and political residencies.
A collection of photos from in and around Samjiyon''Samjiyon County Changes Its Appearance'' picture album
at Naenara {{Cities in North Korea Counties of Ryanggang Ski areas and resorts in North Korea