The Imjin River (; South Korean spelling) or Rimjin (; North Korean spelling) is the 7th largest river in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. It flows from north to south, crossing the

Demilitarized Zone A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary ...

and joining the Han River downstream of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, near the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North 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. Names It is one of four ...

. The river is not the namesake of the

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

(Japanese invasions in the late 16th century).

History

Imjin River was the site of two major battles: the

Battle of Imjin River The Battle of the Imjin River (), also known as the Battle of Solma-ri () or Battle of Gloster Hill () in South Korea, or as Battle of Xuemali () in China, took place 22–25 April 1951 during the Korean War. Troops from the Chinese People's Vo ...

during the

Imjin war The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

in 1592, and the

Battle of the Imjin River The Battle of the Imjin River (), also known as the Battle of Solma-ri () or Battle of Gloster Hill () in South Korea, or as Battle of Xuemali () in China, took place 22–25 April 1951 during the Korean War. Troops from the Chinese People's Vo ...

that took place during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Joint Use Zone

On November 4, 2018, a 20-member team consisting of 10 people from North Korea and 10 people from South Korea began a joint inter-Korean survey intended to lead to the development a Joint Utilization Zone along Imjin River's

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

.Archived a
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The Zone would allow civilians to access the estuary for tourism, ecological protection and the collection of

construction aggregate Construction aggregate, or simply aggregate, is a broad category of coarse- to medium-grained particulate material used in construction. Traditionally, it includes natural materials such as sand, gravel, crushed stone. As with other types of ag ...

under the protection of militaries from both sides of the Korean border. On November 5, 2018, the councils of South Korea's Gangwon and

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

provinces, which border the DMZ, signed a “peace working agreement” at Dorasan Station in Paju, giving local approval to the Joint Utilization Zone. The inter-Korean survey of Imjin River's estuary was completed on December 9, 2018. The new map of the river's estuary, which consists of newly discovered reefs, was to be made public by January 25, 2019.

Characteristics

The active channel of Imjin River uses only about 150 to 200 feet of the width of the dry riverbed that it runs through, which is bordered by almost vertical rock cliffs standing approximately above the mean low water level. It gives no indication in normal times of the tremendous power it develops when in flood. During the Korean

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...

of July and August, the Imjin becomes a raging torrent, largely confined by its steep rocky banks. Fed by its larger tributaries and many small mountain streams, it reaches flood heights of above mean water level and a velocity of 15 to . The rapid runoff of approximately 95 percent of precipitation during heavy general rains has caused Imjin, on occasion, to rise at a rate of more than six feet per hour. During the severe Korean winter, icy winds sweep down the Imjin; the sub-zero temperatures cause thick ice to form on the river. Fluctuations in the level of the river, particularly tidal action in the lower reaches, break up this ice, and large amounts of floe ice pile up against any obstacle in the channel. Many in South Korea nickname Imjin as the "River of the Dead" as in the past, large numbers of dead bodies have floated down the river from the North. The most recent occurrence was during the major famine of the 1990s when millions of North Koreans are believed to have starved to death.

In popular culture

In the popular novel '' MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'', the American 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital ("MASH") unit is located close to a branch of the Imjin River. Imjin River is the subject of a famous North Korean popular song, "Rimjingang", named after the river. It was composed in 1957 with lyrics written by North Korean poet

Pak Se-yong Pak Se-yong (; 7 July 1902 – 28 February 1989) was a North Korean poet and politician, best known for writing the lyrics of "Aegukka", the national anthem of North Korea. Early life Pak was a native of Dumo-ri, Outer old Seoul in what is now ...

. It is a well-known song in North Korea, as it refers to Imjin River as a symbol of freedom flowing from north to south. This song depicts the sadness of a divided homeland and alludes to the infamous history of the river. The song (as "Imujingawa") later became popular in Japan when it was covered by

The Folk Crusaders , also known as simply , was a Japanese folk group, popular in Japan in the later half of the 1960s. Career The band was formed in 1965 by the five university students Kazuhiko Katō, Osamu Kitayama, Yoshio Hiranuma, Mikio Imura and Masaki Ashi ...

and other artists.Imjin River: River where tears of the Koreans flow
11 March 2014 It remains popular among Korean communities worldwide, as a song of hope that the Korean people will once again be united and free.

References

External links

US Army (PDF)

{{coord, 37, 47, N, 126, 40, E, display=title, region:KR_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Rivers of South Korea Rivers of North Korea International rivers of Asia North Korea–South Korea border Biosphere reserves of South Korea