Sinuiju

Administrative divisions

Sinuiju city is the heart of the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region. The city is currently divided into 49 tong (neighbourhoods) and 9 ri (villages):

History

Developed as a major settlement during Japanese colonial rule at the terminus of a railway bridge across the Amrok River, Sinuiju is located 11 km (7 miles) south by southwest of Ŭiju, the old city from whose name Sinŭiju (meaning “New Ŭiju”) derives. As an open port, it grew commercially with the logging industry which uses the Amnok River to transport lumber. Additionally, a chemical industry developed after the hydroelectric Sup'ung Dam was built further up the river.

During the Korean War, after being driven from P'yŏngyang, Kim Il Sung and his government temporarily moved the capital to Sinŭiju - although as United Nations Command forces approached, the government again moved - this time to Kanggye. On 7 November 1950, the city sustained heavy damage during an aerial bombardment from the United States Air Force; 95 percent of the city was destroyed. However, the city has since been rebuilt.

In 2018, a master plan for the redevelopment of the city was unveiled and shown to Kim Jong Un, which would have featured many high rise buildings and parks, centered around the road leading to the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Ultimately, this plan has yet to be fulfilled, with the only major work completed being the repaving of roads leading to the statues and the red coloured, circular apartment building behind and the Sinuiju Youth Open Air Theatre's completion, although the industrial areas in the city have seen some reconstruction.

Economy

An important light industry centre in North Korea, Sinŭiju has a plant manufacturing enamelled ironware as well as a textile mill, paper mill and an afforestation factory. Its southwest harbour has a shipyard, although the shipyard's main function is seemingly to dismantle ships for scrap metal and other usable materials rather than building new ships. The area has recycling plants which recycle a wide range of material, including products that are banned for recycling in China. The Sinŭiju Cosmetics Factory is located in South Sinŭiju (Namsinŭiju).

Trade with China

A substantial portion of North Korea's international trade, both legal and illegal, passes through Sinuiju and Dandong, across the Yalu River.

Agriculture

In 2026, a major greenhouse complex called the Sinŭiju Combined Greenhouse Farm was completed on Wihwa Island. Spanning approximately 450 hectares, this complex was developed over an area that previously suffered from floods in 2024.

Transportation

Sinŭiju can be reached from P'yŏngyang by air, railway, and road. It can be reached from Dandong in China by crossing the Amnok River by bridge or boat. Foreign tourists on excursion boats from Dandong are sometimes permitted to approach within a few meters of the city's coastline, as long as they do not land.

Air

Sinŭiju's airport has a single turf runway 03/21 measuring 991 by 61 metres (3,250 by 200 feet). Air Koryŏ operates passenger and cargo flights from P'yŏngyang.

Rail

Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn Station is the northern terminus of the Korean State Railway's P'yŏngŭi Line from P'yŏngyang; the district is also served by several other stations on the P'yŏngŭi line, as well as the Tŏkhyŏn and Paengma lines. It is also connected with the Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning Province in China by the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, which is 944 m (3,097 ft) long from end to end, and through the Manchuria Railway links up with the Trans-Siberian Railway. The factories of the city of Sinŭiju are provided with railway service via the Kang'an Line.

Urban transit

Sinuiju has a trolleybus line that runs from the city centre to the railway station. It was reopened in October 2020 with new trolleybuses derived from the Pyongyang Chollima-321 trolleybus. It formerly had another line running from the Sinuiju Chongnyon Station to Ragwon Machine Complex that closed between 2005 and 2009 with the reconstruction of the highway with a shifted alignment.

Climate

Sinŭiju has a monsoonal humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa) with hot, humid and stormy summers and cold, dry winters with little snowfall.

Places of interest

Facilities in Sinŭiju include Sinŭiju High School, Sinŭiju Commercial High School, Eastern Middle School, Sinŭiju Light Industry University, Sinŭiju University of Medicine and the Sinuiju University of Education. Scenic sites include the Tonggun Pavilion, Waterfall, and Hot Springs.

There also is a Ferris wheel overlooking the Yalu River, reportedly broken.

Notable people

• Sohn Kee-chung, South Korean Olympic athlete and long-distance runner
• Suh Chong Kang, South Korean martial artist
• Yi Sung-sun, South Korean street knight
• Yushoku Cho, Japanese speed skater