T'ongch'ŏn County is a ''kun'', or county, in Kangwŏn 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 ...

. It abuts the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

(East Sea of Korea) to the north and east. Famous people from T'ongch'ŏn include

Hyundai Hyundai is a former South Korean industrial conglomerate ("''chaebol''"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Asan, a real estate construction ...

Founder

Chung Ju-yung Chung Ju-yung or Jung Joo-young (; 25 November 1915 – 21 March 2001) was a South Korean entrepreneur and the founder of Hyundai Group, Hyundai Group, one of the largest chaebols in South Korea. Raised as the eldest son of a poor Korean farme ...

, who is believed to have been born there.

History

The region was called Hyuyang county during the reign of King Gwanggaeto. The region became part of Silla during the reign of King Jinheung, The modern borders of the county was set in 1952, after the county was reformed.

Current administrative divisions

T'ongch'ŏn 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", an "eup" is one of the divisions of a county ("gun"), and of some cities ("si") with a pop ...

'' (town) and 30 '' ri'' (villages):

T'ongch'ŏn-ŭp

The town contains the administrative centre of the county, and was created in 1952. The town has the tomb of the ancestor of the Tongchon Kim clan, known for being the son of

Crown Prince Maui Crown Prince Maui (; born 912), born Kim Il () was the last Silla crown prince as the son of its last ruler, Gyeongsun of Silla, King Gyeongsun. The name ''Maui'' means "hemp dress", and comes from the fact that he spent his whole life wearing c ...

. The town also hosts the Chongseok gazebo (Chongsokjong), known as one of the eight scenic sites of Kwandong region (Kwandongpalgyeong), and is designated by the DPRK as the no. 214 in the list of the

Natural monuments of North Korea Natural monuments of North Korea is a natural monuments system that designates natural resources that are designated as significant to the North Korean government. A total of 469 natural monument entries have been designated from no.1 to no. 935 ...

Changdae-ri

Changdae-ri(長臺里) village is known for its Gwangdaeam mountain and Jangdaechon river.

Changjil-li

The village of Changjil-li( is known for its narrow Spit at the coast.

Chasal-li

Chasal-li village was named after the mountain Chasan.The town is a major production center for

Perenniporia ''Perenniporia'' is a cosmopolitan genus of bracket-forming or crust-like polypores in the family Polyporaceae. They are dimitic or trimitic with smooth, thick-walled basidiospores and cause a white rot in affected wood. Taxonomy ''Perennipor ...

,used for traditional medicine.

Chungch'ŏl-li

The village is famous for its

Osmunda japonica ''Osmunda japonica'' (syn. ''Osmunda nipponica'' Makino), also called Asian royal fern or fiddlehead, is a fern in the genus '' Osmunda'' native to east Asia, including Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, and the far east of Russia on the island of Sak ...

.97% of the town is mainly a forest area.

Hasu-ri

The village was named for having an intersection of different river streams merging.The town's geographical features are mainly beaches and mounds with rather low height.

Hwat'ong-ri

The village was named as such for a big market that has existed in the region.

Kahŭng-ri

89% of the village is farmland.

Kangdong-ri

The village was named as such for its rivers.The region is home to the sijung lake.

Kŏsŏng-ri

The village contains lot of pasture used to raise cows, and has a over the water route connected from the Chigung harbor. Near the village of Munchi in the southern side of Kosongri village, the mound called Munchiryong,which was historically known for thieves and tigers, is located near Potanri and Tongchonup,

Kŭmral-li

The village was named after Kumran cave.known to have the legend of being the storehouse for the mythical plant of immortality.

Kunsal-li

The village was newly created, and was named as such for its group of mountains, but the region mainly consists of plains.

Kuŭp-ri

The village was named as such because it was the old administrative center of the county.The region is home to the Tongchonbol, a vast plain.

Mip'yŏng-ri

The village was named as such for its plains under the mountains.

Myŏnggo-ri

The village was named for the crying of cranes in the nearby mountains.The region is home to the Chonapo lake.

Pangp'o-ri

The region has the gwanggyochon and jijangchon rivers.

Pyŏg'am-ri

The region is home to the Suchong and Kidae mountains.

P'aech'ŏl-li

The region is known for its rivers.Kumbong river is home to the

Big-scaled redfin The big-scaled redfin (''Pseudaspius hakonensis''), also known as the Japanese dace and ugui ( 鯎 or 鵜喰), is a medium-sized Asian species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, chubs, true minnows ...

P'ungsal-li

The village hosts the Kumbong river in its southern side.

Rimong-ri

Rimong-ri(梨木里) was named as such for its collection of pear trees.

Rosang-ri

The village was named for its location on the top of the road.

Ryongch'ŏl-li

The village was named after a stream where legend tells a dragon ascended from.

Ryongsu-ri

The region was named as such because it sources its water used for agriculture from the Ryongso pond.

Sillim-ri

The region produces potatoes and beans.

Sindae-ri

The village was named as such because it was newly founded city.The rivers of Kahung and Kyegok flow through the region.

Sinhŭng-ri

The village was named as such because it was a newly created village.

Songjŏl-li

The town was originally known as Solbatgu, meaning pine tree town.

Taegong-ri

The village has a noticeable sericulture industry.

Poho-ri

Major produce in the region is corn and rice.

Pongho-ri

The village was named after the peak and lake.73% of its land consists of mountainous areas. On the northwest side of the village a mountain known as sanyanggogae(or saeyangigogae) is connected to the sanyang village in Potalli village.

Pot'al-li

The village was named for its coal.The region hosts the Potan mountain. The region also has the hakjang valley(hakjanggol) in the Hakjang mountain, known as the breeding site of Cranes.

Old administrative divisions

Due to the relatively scarce resources about the current regions occupied by north korea, south korea base their administrative divisions of the Northern regions based on the subdivisions before liberation of korea in 1945 or the korean war.Here are the subdivisions that existed.

Gojeoeup

The town of Gojeoeup (庫底邑), with an area of 90.07km2, was created in 1936 as a renamed version of Sunryeongmyeon(順嶺面), was created in 1914 as a result of the merger of Sundalmyeon and Ryeongoemyeon. It was home to the Chongsukjong in Chongsokri, the Eosusanseong fortress in Sanggojeori, and the Ssanghaksanseong fortress in Toilri. The town had 19 ris, which were Hagojeo, sanggojeo, Eoun, samgye, Guhang, pohang, banwol, saho, Hungun, Baekjong, Botong, sin, sinwol, Oryu, jeonsan, toil, jeonchon, chongsok and tongsudong. The town was demoted to Gojeomyeon in 1949.

Physical features

The terrain is mountainous in the west, sloping down to the coastal plains (including the T'ongch'ŏn Plain and Hupkok Plain) in the east. The plains are used for rice cultivation. The area is prone to fog. As elsewhere along the Kangwŏn coast, there are various

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

Economy

Due to the extensive plains, agriculture is a major local industry; in addition to rice, the county produces barley, wheat, oats, millet, maize, soybeans, and potatoes. Lumbering and fishing also play a role.

Tourism

The region has long been a popular destination due to the proximity of Mount Kŭmgang and, in recent years, tourists from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

have passed through the area in great numbers.

Transport

;Road A highway runs along the coastline. ;Rail T'ongch'ŏn county is served by T'ongch'ŏn Station and five other stations on the Kŭmgangsan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line of the

Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea (), commonly called the State Rail () and has its headquarters at Pyongyang, P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun-song. History 19 ...

Legends

Salt vendor and the Yeolnyeo

Also known as soul of yeollyeo, the legend is associated with Chongsokjong. It tells the story of a farmer Lee si taek, who after going on a long journey as a salt merchant finds a house where a

yeollyeo ''Yeolnyeo'' (), also called ''Yeolbu'' (), is defined as 'virtuous woman' during the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Joseon was a neo-Confucian society with every aspect of life governed by neo-Confucian ethics. Women were educated to be filial to the ...

who lives alone because her husband died from a tiger attack. She later kills the tiger with an axe. After finding her husband's corpse she chooses to commit suicide by burning herself in fire to follow his husband.

Notable people from Tongchon County

n entrepreneur, businessman and the founder of

Hyundai Group Hyundai Group (; ) is a South Korean conglomerate founded by Chung Ju-yung. The group was founded in 1947 Hyundai Engineering & Construction, as a construction company. With government assistance, Chung and his family members rapidly expanded ...

* Ri Yong-ho,

n vice-marshal * Ri Chun-hee, North Korean broadcaster for

Korean Central Television Korean Central Television (KCTV; ) is a North Korean television service operated by the Korean Central Broadcasting Committee, a state-owned broadcaster in North Korea. It is broadcast terrestrially via the Pyongyang TV Tower in Moranbong-g ...

References

External links

* {{coord missing, North Korea Counties of Kangwon Province (North Korea)