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Hamhung
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Hamhung (Hamhung-si) is North Korea's second largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyong Province. In late 2005, nearby Hungnam was made a ward (kuyok) within Hamhung-si.
ung is on the left branch of the Songch'on River, on the eastern part of the Hamhung plain , in South Hamgyong Province, northeast North Korea. The Tonghungsan is 319 m high.
city was heavily destroyed (80–90%) during the Korean War.
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Encyclopedia
Hamhung (Hamhung-si) is North Korea's second largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyong Province. In late 2005, nearby Hungnam was made a ward (kuyok) within Hamhung-si.
Geography
Hamhung is on the left branch of the Songch'on River, on the eastern part of the Hamhung plain , in South Hamgyong Province, northeast North Korea. The Tonghungsan is 319 m high.
History
The city was heavily destroyed (80–90%) during the Korean War. From 1955–1962, Hamhung was the object of a large-scale program of reconstruction and development by East Germany including the build-up of various construction-related industries and intense training measures for Korean construction workers, engineers, city planners and architects. The project ended two years earlier than scheduled and with a low profile because of the Sino-Soviet conflict and the opposing positions that North Korea and East Germany took on that issue.
From 1960 to 1967, Hamhung was administered separately from South Hamgyong as a Directly Governed City (Chikhalsi), but before 1960, and since 1967, the city has been part of South Hamgyong Province.
In 1995, Hamhung witnessed, thus far, the only documented challenge to the North Korean government when famine-ravaged soldiers began a march toward Pyongyang. The revolt was quelled and the unit of soldiers was disbanded.
The North Korean famine of the 1990's appears to have had a disproportionate effect on the people of Hamhung. Andrew Natsios, a former aid worker, USAID Administrator, and author of "The Great North Korean Famine," described Hamhung as "the city most devastated by [the] famine." Contemporary published reports from the Washington Post and Reuters describe the presence of numerous fresh graves on the surrounding hillsides, and report that many of Hamhung's children were stunted by malnutrition. One survivor claimed that more than 10% of the city's population died, with another 10% fleeing the city in search of food. Recently released Google Earth images, which show the hills around Hamhung to be packed with tens of thousands of poorly tended graves, provide partial corroboration for those accounts.
Economy
Hamhung is an important chemical industry center in the DPRK. It is an industrial city which serves as a major port for North Korean foreign trade. Production includes textiles (particularly vinalon), metalware, machinery, refined oil and processed food.
Transportation
The city is a transportation hub, connecting various eastern ports and the northern interior area.
Culture
It has a national museum and a branch academy of science.
Hamhung is home to the Hamhung University of Education, Hamhung University of Pharmacy, Hamhung University of Chemistry and Hamhung University of Medicine. Professional colleges in Hamhung include the Hamhung College of Quality Control, the Hamhung Hydrographic and Power College, and the Hamhung College of Electronics and Automation.
Hamhung also hosts the biggest theatre in North Korea.
Food
Hamhung is famous for its naengmyon.
People born in Hamhung
See also
External links
- , (North Korea Google Earth) Maps out Hamhung's economic infrastructure, including railways, hotels, tourist destinations, cultural facilities, ports, and electricity grid on Google Earth.
- , Compares newly revealed Google Earth imagery of Hamhung -- imagery which reveals many of the hills around the city to be packed with graves -- with published reports of severe famine in Hamhung during the 1990's.
Footnotes
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