Kyŏngwŏn County is a ''kun'', or county, in

North Hamgyong North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, S ...

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 ...

, located at , formerly known as Saebyŏl. It is bordered by the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

to the north and east,

Kyonghung Kyŏnghŭng County is a ''kun'', or county, in North Hamgyong province, North Korea. Formerly known as Ŭndŏk County (), from 1977 to 2010. The county borders the People's Republic of China to the northeast. Except for the southwest, it is domin ...

to the southeast,

Hoeryong Hoeryŏng () is a city in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It is located opposite Jilin Province, China, with the Tumen River in between. Sanhe, Longjing, Sanhe (三合鎮), in Longjing, Jilin, Longjing City, is the closest Chinese town across ...

to the southwest, and Onsong to the west. The western region of Kyongwon is mountainous, while the east is relatively flat. The highest point is Chungsan. The largest river is the Tumen, which flows along the eastern border. Numerous tributaries of the Tumen also flow through the county. Approximately 75% of the county is forested. Aside from agriculture, livestock raising and sericulture are widespread. The chief local crops are rice, corn, and soybeans.

Bituminous coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the coal seam, ...

is also mined. Railroads passing through Kyongwon include the Hambuk and

Kogonwon Line The Kogŏnwŏn Line is a non-electrified standard-gauge secondary line of the Korean State Railway in Kyongwon County, Kyŏngwon County, North Hamgyong Province, North Hamgyŏng Province, running from Singon Station, Singŏn on the Hambuk Line ...

s. It is also connected by Shatuozi Border Road bridge to the Chinese city of

Hunchun Hunchun is a county-level city in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture within Jilin province to the far east. It borders North Hamgyong Province in North Korea and Primorsky Krai in Russia, has over 250,000 inhabitants, and covers 5,145&nbs ...

in the

Yanbian The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in the east of Jilin Province, China. Yanbian is bordered to the north by Heilongjiang Province, to the west by Jilin's Baishan City and Jilin City, to the south by North K ...

autonomous prefecture.

History

Under

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period Kyongwon was invaded by Jurchens tribes in 1409. Therefore, to safeguard his people from the hostile Chinese and

Jurchen people Jurchen (, ; , ) is a term used to collectively describe a number of East Asian people, East Asian Tungusic languages, Tungusic-speaking people. They lived in northeastern China, also known as Manchuria, before the 18th century. The Jurchens wer ...

(later known as

Manchus The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) an ...

) living in

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

, King

Sejong the Great of Joseon Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the n ...

ordered to establish there one of the six post/garrisons (

hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

:육진

hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

:六鎭) in 1433. In 1977 the county's name was changed to Saebyol, but it was later reverted.

Administrative divisions

Kyongwon County is divided into 1 town (" ŭp") 21 villages (" ri") and 3 worker's districts ("rodongjagu"). ''Note: The Korean syllabe "som" (섬) in Ryudasom-ri, is converted into hanja "do" 島 because both of them means island in that case.''

External links

Location of the four forts and the six posts
*

References

{{North Hamgyong Counties of North Hamgyong

History

Administrative divisions

See also

External links

References