Pukch'ang County is a ''kun'' (county) in

South P'yŏngan South Pyongan Province (; ) is a Administrative divisions of North Korea, province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Pyongan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a prov ...

province,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

History

In 1952, Pukchang County was formed from the former area of Maengsan County and

Tokchon Tŏkch'ŏn () is a ''si'', or city, in northern South P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It is bordered by Nyŏngwŏn and Maengsan to the east, Kujang county in North P'yŏngan province to the north, Kaech'ŏn to the west and Pukch'ang to th ...

. Since then, the county has been changed multiple times by merging in or transferring out some areas. In January 2000, Tukchang district was abolished and transferred to Pukchang County. However, the district reappeared in the

2008 North Korea Census The 2008 North Korean census () was the second North Korea national census. The reference day used for the census was October 1, 2008. This census conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics from 1 to 15 October 2008 throughout the DPRK. The ce ...

Environment

Pukchang County is located in a mountainous area. On the northern border with Tokchon runs the east-west Jangan mountain range. On the southern border with

Unsan County, South Pyongan Ŭnsan County is a ''kun'' (county) in South P'yŏngan province, North Korea.Road map of Korea, North and South, published December 2010 by Freytag and Berndt, Vienna, Austria, Name The name Unsan is proposed to have been derived from either ...

, the Chonsong mountain range also runs east-west. In the west of the county is the

Mount Myohyang Mount Myohyang () is a mountain in North Korea. It is named for the mystic shapes and fragrances found in the area. In the foundation myth of Gojoseon, the ''Samguk sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea ...

range. Around 80% of the county is forest. The

Taedong River The Taedong River () is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening the Soviet ...

runs through the county.

Administrative divisions

The district is split into 1 ''

ŭp An ''eup'' or ''ŭp'' () is an administrative unit in both North Korea and South Korea similar to the unit of town. In South Korea Along with " myeon", an "eup" is one of the divisions of a county ("gun"), and of some cities ("si") with a pop ...

'' (town), 4 ''rodongjagu'' (worker districts) and 21 ri (villages):

Economy

Built in the 1960s with Soviet assistance, Pukchang has the power station with the highest generating capacity in North Korea, with the Pukchang Thermal Power Complex having a generation capacity of 1600 MW, reached in December 1984. According to official statistics in 2009, it generated on average 1100 MW throughout the year. Different estimates puts the generating capacity at only 500 MW. The power plant suffered issues due to the low quality

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil (bunker fuel), marine f ...

provided by the USA under the

Agreed Framework The Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea () was signed on 21 October 1994, between North Korea (DPRK) and the United States. The objective of the agreement was the freezing and replac ...

, which had a high sulfur content and thus would cause significant damage to the boilers. While an apparent replacement power plant with a capacity of 300 MW was being built in

Kangdong County Kangdong County is one of Pyongyang's two suburban counties. In 1983 it was separated from South P'yongan Province and assumed direct governance by the Pyongyang City People's Committee. It is bordered by Sŏngch'ŏn-gun (Songchon County), South ...

starting in 2014 due to aging of Pukchang Thermal Power Complex, the project appears to have stalled. It draws water from the

. In December 12, 2018, an extension to the Pukchang Thermal Power Complex was inaugurated, likely as a result of an order of

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

, calling for a 'drastic increase in thermal power generation'. According to NKNews sources, various cities had a marked improvement in electricity supply in 2018, although rural areas mostly relied on

solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

s. The complex manufactures its own spare parts, such as turbine blades. The county has a large number of coal mines, producing high quality coal, which supports the thermal power complex. Various other

light industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...

exist in the county along with a number of farms, producing vegetables and raising animals. The Pukchang Aluminum Factory, North Korea's only

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron-making, iron, copper extraction, copper ...

and

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...

ing plant has been condemned for releasing toxic dust over neighboring communities including offices, schools, homes, and businesses. The product of filters unreplaced since its construction in 1983, residents from the nearby community report high rates of

birth defect A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe. Birth de ...

dermatitis Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

, and

respiratory disease Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, ...

contributing to an average

life expectancy Human life expectancy is a statistical measure of the estimate of the average remaining years of life at a given age. The most commonly used measure is ''life expectancy at birth'' (LEB, or in demographic notation ''e''0, where '' ...

short of mid-50s. The "Class 1"-designated factory manufactures aluminum for North Korean missiles and

centrifuge A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to subject a specimen to a specified constant force - for example, to separate various components of a fluid. This is achieved by spinning the fluid at high speed within a container, thereby ...

Transport

The

Pyongdok Line The P'yŏngdŏk Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the Korean State Railway in North Korea running from Taedonggang Station in P'yŏngyang, where it connects to the P'yŏngbu, P'yŏngnam, P'yŏngra and P'yŏngŭi Lines, to ...

and Its branches, the

Tukchang Line The Tŭkchang Line is an electrified railway line of the Korean State Railway in South P'yŏngan Province, North Korea, running from Pukch'ang on the P'yŏngdŏk Line The P'yŏngdŏk Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the ...

and

Taegon Line The Taegŏn Line is an electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway in South P'yŏngan Province, North Korea.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 88, It runs from Sillyŏnp'o Station on ...

passes through the county. Roads connecting

Pyongsong Pyongsong (, , officially Phyongsong) is a city in North Korea, the capital city of South Pyongan province in western North Korea. The city is located about 32 kilometres northeast of Pyongyang, and was formally established in December 1969. It ha ...

and

Hamhung Hamhŭng (''Hamhŭng-si''; ) is North Korea's List of cities in North Korea, second-most populous city, the capital of South Hamgyong, South Hamgyŏng Province and the 16th largest city in the Korea, Korean Peninsula. Located in the southern part ...

, Kumya and Pukchang,

and Pukchang run through the county.

References

External links

*
Map of Pyongan provinces
*

{{coord missing, North Korea Counties of South Pyongan