Ongjin County is a county in southern

South Hwanghae Province South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo; , lit. "south Yellow Sea province") is a province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital ...

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 located on the Ongjin Peninsula, which projects into 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 ...

History

The Ongjin Peninsula lies below the 38th parallel, and was therefore in the Southern zone, which became the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

. However, the Ongjin Peninsula was isolated from other southern territories, and therefore difficult to defend. Some of the earliest fighting in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

came here as

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

forces took the Ongjin Peninsula. The Armistice Line at the end of the Korean War left Ongjin County in North Korea.

Geography

Ongjin County is on the Ongjin Peninsula, with the Yellow Sea to the south and west. The Ongjin Peninsula is further divided into the Kangryŏng Peninsula, the Tongnam Peninsula, and the Ryongch'ŏn Peninsula. Geologically, Ongjin County is composed of coastal Lias. The Ongjin Plain, Kangryŏng Bay, Hwasan Bay, and Taedong Bay are all located here, as is the

Ongjin Bay Important Bird Area The Ongjin Bay Important Bird Area(옹진재두루미살이터) lies on the western coast of North Korea on the Yellow Sea, in Ongjin County, South Hwanghae. It comprises 3500 ha of wetlands, including rice paddies, and encompasses a 1000&n ...

. The climate is very mild. Ongjin County includes three large islands. Yonghodo (용호도) sits in the entrance to Kangryŏng Bay, Ch'angrindo (창린도) is outside the entrance to Ongjin Bay, and Kirindo (기린도) lies south of the western end of the Ongjin Peninsula.

Administrative divisions

Ongjin county is divided into 1 '' ŭp'' (town), 3 '' rodongjagu'' (workers' districts) and 24 '' ri'' (villages)

Economy

Rice is the major crop. Wheat, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and cotton are also grown. The area was once heavily forested, but not much forest land remains. The nearby meeting of warm and cold currents make this a centre of the fishing industry. Gold, silica sand, and marble are also mined. The Ongjin Hot Springs are a popular tourist destination.

Transportation

Ongjin county is served by the

Ongjin Line The Ongjin Line is a partially electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea, running from Haeju Chongnyon Station, Haeju on the Hwanghae Chongnyon Line, Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line t ...

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 1945–19 ...

References

External links

Military air bases in Ongjin County
{{South Hwanghae Counties of South Hwanghae