Sonbong County, formerly called Unggi (
Chosŏn'gŭl: 웅기,
Hancha: 雄基), is a subdivision of the
North Korean city of
Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. It lies on
Unggi Bay
Sonbong County, formerly called Unggi (Chosŏn'gŭl: 웅기, Hancha: 雄基), is a subdivision of the North Korean city of Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering Russia and China. It lies on Unggi Bay, an exten ...
, an extension of the
Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea). A
uranium mine is allegedly located there, as is a 200
megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...
oil-fired
power plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many ...
. The word Sonbong means "Vanguard" in Korean.
The Sonbong Revolutionary Site there is dedicated to a visit by
Kim Jong-suk
Kim Jong-suk (; 24 December 1917Suh Dae-sook. Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988. – 22 September 1949) was a Korean anti-Japanese guerrilla, a Communist activist, North Korean leader Kim ...
in November 1945 "upholding the policy of building a new country advanced by President Kim Il Sung" after the
liberation of Korea. It includes the
Sonbong Revolutionary Museum
Sonbong County, formerly called Unggi (Chosŏn'gŭl: 웅기, Hancha: 雄基), is a subdivision of the North Korean city of Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering Russia and China. It lies on Unggi Bay, an extens ...
, a monument to the historic site, and the house where she stayed.
Administrative divisions
Sonbong County is divided into 1 town ("Ŭp"), 2 worker's districts ("Rodongjagu") and 10 villages ("Ri"):
* Sŏnbong-ŭp (선봉읍/先鋒邑)
*
Tuman'gang-rodongjagu (두만강로동자구/豆滿江勞動者區)
* Ungsang-rodongjagu (웅상로동자구/雄尙勞動者區)
* Chosal-li (조산리/造山里)
* Hahoe-ri (하회리/下檜里)
* Hayŏp'yŏng-ri (하여평리/下汝坪里)
* Hongŭi-ri (홍의리/洪儀里)
* Kulp'o-ri (굴포리/屈浦里)
* Paekhang-ri (백학리/白鶴里)
* Pup'o-ri (부포리/鮒浦里)
* Sahoe-ri (사회리/四會里)
* Uam-ri (우암리/牛岩里)
* Wŏnjŏng-ri (원정리/元汀里)
Climate
Sonbong has a
humid continental climate (
Dfb) with mild to warm, rainy summers and cold, long winters. Seasons are somewhat moderated by the presence of the
Sea of Japan.
Transportation
Sonbong is North Korea's rail link to Russia. A rail bridge crosses the
Tumen River between the border rail stations of
Tumangang Workers' District, Sonbong, and
Khasan, Russia. This connection lies on one of two proposed paths for linking
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
by rail to the
Trans-Siberian Railroad and the rest of
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...
, the other being through
Sinuiju
Sinŭiju (''Sinŭiju-si'', ; known before 1925 in English as Yeng Byen City) is a city in North Korea which faces Dandong, Liaoning, China across the international border of the Yalu River. It is the capital of North P'yŏngan province. Part of ...
. The rail link through Sonbong is lightly used, carrying only 10,000 passengers in 2005.
Sonbong is one terminus of the
Hambuk Line
The Hambuk Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the Korean State Railway in North Korea, running from Ch'ŏngjin) on the P'yŏngra Line to Rajin, likewise on the P'yŏngra line.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no ...
railroad. It is also served by roads.
There is a seaport and a wharf at
Sonbong Port
Sonbong County, formerly called Unggi (Chosŏn'gŭl: 웅기, Hancha: 雄基), is a subdivision of the North Korean city of Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering Russia and China. It lies on Unggi Bay, an extens ...
.
[
]
See also
* List of cities in North Korea
* Geography of North Korea
References
External links
Tumen River Area Development Program profile of the area
{{Rason
Counties of North Korea
Uranium mines
Mining in North Korea
Rason