The important cities of
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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
have self-governing status equivalent to that of provinces.
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...
, the largest city and capital, is classified as a chikhalsi (
capital city
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...
), while three cities (see the list below) are classified as t'ŭkpyŏlsi (special city). Other cities are classified as si (city) and are under provincial jurisdiction, at the same level as counties (see
Administrative divisions of North Korea).
List
;Notes:
* All population figures come from the
2008 North Korean census.
* Several former special cities have been re-merged with their provinces, including
Chongjin,
Hamhung and
Kaesong.
*
Rason was annexed into
North Hamgyong Province in 2004, but was later promoted back to special city in 2010 to help manage it for foreign investment.
*
Chosŏn'gŭl
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
has replaced
Hancha; Hancha has not been officially used in North Korea since the 1950s.
(Note: foundation dates are the dates the cities were legally founded as their current status by the North Korean government. They all existed as prior settlements before these dates.)
See also
*
Administrative divisions of North Korea
*
Special cities of North Korea
Special cities are one of the first-level administrative divisions within North Korea. There are four special cities in North Korea.
Position in hierarchy and types
Special cities are the higher-ranked administrative divisions in North Korea. ...
*
List of cities in South Korea
*
Geography of North Korea
North Korea is located in East Asia in the Northern half of Korea, partially on the Korean Peninsula. It borders three countries: China along the Yalu (Amnok) River, Russia along the Tumen River, and South Korea to the south.
Topography and ...
Further reading
*Dormels, Rainer. North Korea's Cities: Industrial facilities, internal structures and typification. Jimoondang, 2014.
{{Asia topic, List of cities in
*
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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
Cities
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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...