Nyŏngbyŏn County (in standard Southern dialect: Yŏngbyŏn) is a county in North Pyŏngan 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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

. It borders the cities of Kaechŏn and Anju, and covers an area of 504 km².

Description

The city was heavily fortified during the 15th century as a result of its strategic position, and during the Josŏn Dynasty, became a retreat for the aristocratic '' ryangban'' due to its fantastic scenery. The city's Yaksan, meaning medicine mountain, was well known for its azaleas; the modern poet Kim So-wol wrote one of his best-known poems on this subject. Two other mountains, Yaksan-dongdae, east of Yaksan, and Moran Hill are also scenic spots. Nyŏngbyŏn also houses many important relics, including the Chŏnju and Soun Buddhist temples, dating from 1345 and 1684 respectively; the Ryuksung Pavilion, famous for "six scenic views" of Nyŏngbyŏn; and the Ch'ŏl'ong Castle, built to protect the city during the

Ri Dynasty The House of Yi, also called the Yi dynasty (also transcribed as the Lee dynasty), was the royal family of the Joseon dynasty and later the imperial family of the Korean Empire, descended from the Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye. All of his descenda ...

. The south gate of Nyŏngbyŏn, called Mannomun, is also nearby.

Administrative divisions

Nyŏngbyŏn county is divided 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 (administrative division), myeon", an "eup" is one of the divisions of a county ("County#Kore ...

'' (town), 1 '' rodongjagu'' (workers' district) and 26 '' ri'' (villages):

Economy

The Nyŏngbyŏn Nuclear Scientific Research Centre, a major component of the North Korean nuclear program, is located here.

Transportation

The Chŏngnyŏn Pharwŏn Line of the

Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway (), commonly called the State Rail () is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun Song. History 1945–195 ...

passes through Nyŏngbyŏn county.

References

* http://www.kcckp.net/ko/periodic/todaykorea/index.php?contents+2960+2007-09+101+15 * http://www.kcckp.net/en/periodic/todaykorea/index.php?contents+3101+2007-11+103+6

External links