Lably
Skip to content

Kaesong

Special city in North Korea

  • 14 min read
  • 9 chapters
The appearance of Koryo Songgyungwan University in North Korea
魯班 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Related on Lably

Through Korea, South Korea and Korea under Japanese rule

Lab · Class 1Greater, Less, Equal

During the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945, the city was known by the Japanese pronunciation of its name, "Kaijō". Between 1945 and 1950, Kaesong was under American, and later South Korean, control. During the Korean War, North Korea captured the city, and the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement left the city under North Korean control. Due to the city's proximity to the border with South Korea, Kaesong has hosted cross-border economic exchanges between the two countries as well as the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Region.

As of 2009, the city had a population of 192,578.

History

The earliest archaeological signs of habitation in the Kaesong area date from the Neolithic era. Artifacts such as Jeulmun pottery, stone ware, and stone axes have been excavated from Osongsan and Kaesong Rasong, the double-walled fortress of Kaesong. As Kaesong has been occupied by various states throughout centuries, its name has changed. It was in the realm of the Mahan confederacy, and was referred to as Busogap during the Goguryeo era. Before the strength of Baekje reverted to the southwest - specifically to Jungnyeong, Mungyeong Saejae, and Asan Bay in 475 - the area had been a part of Baekje for about 100 years.

However, it became a part of the Silla empire in 555, the 16th year of Jinheung of Silla's reign, and its name was changed to Song'ak-gun sometime during this period. According to the Samguk Sagi, when a castle was built at the site in 694, the third year of Hyoso of Silla's reign, Kaesong was referred to as "Song'ak (송악; 松嶽)". Therefore, it is assumed that the name Song'ak had been in use since some time before then.

Goryeo

Silla began to decline in the late 9th century, and a period of rival warlords ensued. In 898, Kaesong fell under the hand of Gung Ye, the founder of his short-lived state, Taebong, and then became a part of Goryeo in 919 at the hand of its’ founder, Wang Geon, who was enthroned as Taejo of Goryeo. Taejo established the capital to the south of Song'ak, and incorporated Kaesong’s name into Song'ak by calling it "Gaeju". In 919, Kaesong became the national capital. In 960, the 11th year of Gwangjong of Goryeo's reign, the city was renamed Gaegyeong, and in 995, the 14th year of Seonjong of Goryeo's reign, it was called "Gaesong-bu" in reference to the local districts of Song'ak-gun and Gaesong-gun, which are different from the region of the pre-1945 Gaesong-ri, Seo-myeon, Kaepung-gun area. In 1010, the first year of Hyeonjong of Goryeo's reign, the palace and houses were almost burnt down during the second conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War, and so in 1018, Gaesong-bu was downgraded under "bu" system, and came to govern the three local areas known as “hyeons” - Jeongju, Deoksu, and Gangeum.

In the late 12th century, there was instability in both the government and the countryside. A slave named Manjŏk (or Manjeok) (만적; 萬積) led some other slaves who gathered outside Kaesong in 1198. The revolt plot was suppressed by Ch'oe Ch'ung-hŏn. When Yi Song-gye overthrew Goryeo in 1392 and established Joseon as Taejo of Joseon, he moved the Korean capital from Kaesong to Hanyang (modern-day Seoul) in 1394.

20th century

Kaesong remained a part of Gyeonggi Province until the Korean War. When Korea was partitioned at the 38th parallel after World War II, most of Kaesong's territory was at the south of the border (inside South Korea). In contrast, a small portion to the north was within North Korea. However, the battle of Kaesong-Munsan was won by the Korean People's Army (KPA) in the first days of the Korean War. UN Forces recaptured the city on 9 October 1950 during the pursuit of the KPA that followed the successful Inchon landings. UN Forces abandoned the city on 16 December 1950 during the withdrawal to the Imjin River following the Chinese People's Volunteer Army intervention in the war. Kaesong would remain under Chinese/North Korean control until the end of the war.

Ceasefire negotiations began in Kaesong on 10 July 1951, but were moved to Panmunjom, southeast of the city, on 25 October 1951. The Korean Armistice Agreement signed on 27 July 1953 recognised North Korean control over Kaesong making it the only city to change control from South Korea to North Korea as a result of the war. Postwar Kaesong and the part of Kyonggi Province that came to be occupied was organized into "Kaesong Region" (Kaesŏng Chigu; 개성 지구; 開城 地區). In 1957, Kaesong became a "Directly Governed City" (Kaesŏng Chikhalsi; 개성 직할시; 開城 直轄市).

21st century

In 2002, Kaesŏng Industrial Region was formed from part of Kaesong. In 2003, the remaining part of Kaesong (excluding the Industrial Region) became part of North Hwanghae Province. The city is close to the Demilitarized Zone that divides North and South Korea.

In October 2019, Kaesong became a "Special City".

Sign in to keep reading

8 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Cities

Washington, D.C.Capital city of the United StatesBerlinCapital and largest city of GermanyChicagoMost populous city in Illinois, USViennaCapital and largest city of AustriaPhiladelphiaMost populous city in Pennsylvania, USBostonCapital and largest city in Massachusetts, United States