North Hamgyong Province
Province of North Korea
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Geography
The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, South Hamgyong to the southwest and Ryanggang to the west. To the east is the Sea of Japan. The province is home to the Musudan-ri rocket launching site and the Hoeryong concentration camp. In 2004, Rason was reabsorbed back into the province and since 2010, Rason has been a special city of North Korea.
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Economy
In critical studies of North Korea, North Hamgyong has a reputation as a neglected and underdeveloped region even by the country's standards. It was where the 1990s famine hit hardest, and food shortages persist even in the 2020s. The majority of North Korean defectors who live in South Korea came from the province after crossing the relatively shallow Tumen River into China. Therefore, the conditions of the province, which analyst Fyodor Tertitskiy has described as "not only a very grim, but also a very boring place," tend to be projected onto the whole country, even though they are not representative.
Administrative divisions
North Hamgyong is divided into three cities (si) and 12 counties (kun). These are further divided into villages (ri) in rural areas and dong (neighborhoods) in cities. Some cities are also divided into wards known as "kuyŏk", which are administered just below the city level.
Cities
- Chongjin (Capital)
청진시/清津市 - Hoeryong
회령시/會寧市 - Kimchaek
김책시/金策市
Counties
- Hwadae County
화대군/花坮郡 - Kilju County
길주군/吉州郡 - Kyonghung County
경흥군/慶興郡 - Kyongsong County
경성군/鏡城郡 - Kyongwon County
경원군/慶源郡 - Musan County
무산군/茂山郡 - Myongchon County
명천군/明川郡 - Myonggan County
명간군/明澗郡 - Onsong County
온성군/穩城郡 - Orang County
어랑군/漁郞郡 - Puryong County
부령군/富寧郡 - Yonsa County
연사군/延社郡
In popular culture
- Cha Ki-seong (played by Kim Joo-hyuk), the main antagonist of the 2017 South Korean action comedy film Confidential Assignment is revealed to be a native of Hoeryong, one of the main cities of North Hamgyong Province.
- One of the main characters of Netflix's South Korean thriller series Squid Game, Kang Sae-byeok (played by Jung Ho-yeon) is a North Korean defector who is originally from North Hamgyong Province and lived there before defecting with her younger brother Kang Cheol to South Korea.