Khasan
Encyclopedia
Khasan is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement
) in Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai
, Russia
. Population:
Khasan is the only Russian settlement on the border with North Korea
. It lies near Lake Khasan
and the Tumen River
. The border between Russia and North Korea is formed by the course of the river, but the Tuman's riverbed sometimes changes during floods, effectively diminishing the territory of Russia and threatening to flood the settlement of Khasan and the Peschanaya border station. Since 2003, works have been in progress to reinforce the area with rocky soil for protection against the pressure of the water. Russian towns that neighbor Khasan include Kraskino
, Posyet
, Zarubino
and Slavyanka
.
line from Vladivostok
to Rason. It is the link between Russia
and North Korea
, by a rail bridge over the Tumen River
. The North Korean station in Tumangang Workers' District
, Sonbong
County, is directly across the river. Construction began on the railway line from Baranowski Station to a point 190 km away in the direction opposite of Kraskino, and was completed in 1941. After the Great Patriotic War, the Baranowski-Kraskino line was continued to the border with North Korea, resulting in a total length of 238 km. The end of the line was Khasan Station, located near Lake Khasan. Khasan Station opened for operation on September 28, 1951. It has long remained a dead-end: across the Tumen River, which forms the state border, a temporary wooden bridge was built, which carried its first working train into Korea in 1952. Exchange of goods between the USSR and North Korea by rail through Khasan Station began in 1954. 65 cars or 1,300 tons of cargo were exported from North Korea, with 153 cars or 3,123 tons of cargo being imported. In 1955, 530 cars or 7,200 tons were exported from North Korea, while 295 cars or 4,800 tons of cargo were imported. Two years later the export of goods through Khasan Station grew by 14 times, and imports by 16 times. The temporary wooden bridge was inadequate for the increasing traffic, so in 1959 it was decided to build, jointly by the two countries, a bridge with metal spans on stone abutments, called the "Friendship Bridge". It was commissioned on August 9, 1959. There is a break in gauge between the two railroads since the Russian railroad system is 1,520 mm and the North Korean railroad system is 1,435 mm. This line is currently little used, with only 10,000 passengers being carried in 2005. In 1988, the two-way cargo traffic exceeded 5 million tons annually, but by 2001 the total volume had dropped to only 144,000 tons. In 1989, 830,000 tons of freight passed through the border from Russia (Khasan) to North Korea (Tumangang). By 1998 this number stood at 150,000 tons, and by 2001, only 92,000 tons of freight crossed the border, according to the Far East customs office. The Korean portion from Tumangang
to the port of Rajin was destroyed in the 1950s.
Throughout the 1990s, the state of the railroad deteriorated sharply due to the economic crisis in Russia. By 1996, North Korea owed $20 million to the Russian railway operator, Russian Railways
. This debt had accumulated over the previous 5 years as North Korea seized and used Russian train cars that were in North Korea. The situation led to the Ministry of Railways of Russia issuing a directive forbidding the passage of trains from Khasan to North Korea, effectively isolating North Korea from the Russian market. The crisis was resolved in September 1996, when North Korea agreed to pay $26 million of the debt. At the beginning of the 21st century the situation improved, and capital investments were made to improve and modernize the railway system in the area. The rail station got a new roof in 2002, and the railroad bed was raised, using crushed stones, in 2002/3. On 2001 Russian Railways laid a fiber optic link from Ussuriysk
to to Khasan railway station, which made it possible to connect Khasan to the unified data system of the trains in the Far East.
On April 2008, Russia and North Korea signed a long-awaited deal to rebuild the railway line to North Korea. Under the deal, the two countries will renovate the rail line from Russia's border town of Khasan to the North Korean port of Rajin, where sea cargo to and from South Korea could be unloaded. To implement the project, the Russian Railways Trading House and the Port of Rajin set up a joint venture. It will ensure investments in the project, as well as employing contractors for design and construction work. The joint venture is to last 49 years, with 70 percent of the shares belonging to Russia and 30 percent to North Korea. On Saturday, October 4, 2008 Russian railwaymen began renovating the Khasan-Rajin railway section.
and Posyet
and village of Razdolnoye, Nadezhdinsky District was completed in November 2007.
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
) in Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Population:
Khasan is the only Russian settlement on the border with North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. It lies near Lake Khasan
Lake Khasan
Lake Khasan is a small lake in Khasansky District, Primorsky Krai of Russia, on the border with North Korea, 130 km southwest of Vladivostok. It has a surface area of 2.23 km2. The Tanbogatyi River flows from the lake...
and the Tumen River
Tumen River
The Tumen River is a 521 km-long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea, and Russia, rising in Mount Baekdu and flowing into the Sea of Japan....
. The border between Russia and North Korea is formed by the course of the river, but the Tuman's riverbed sometimes changes during floods, effectively diminishing the territory of Russia and threatening to flood the settlement of Khasan and the Peschanaya border station. Since 2003, works have been in progress to reinforce the area with rocky soil for protection against the pressure of the water. Russian towns that neighbor Khasan include Kraskino
Kraskino
Kraskino is an urban locality in Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia, located on the shore of the Posyet Bay, southwest of Vladivostok, near the border with North Korea. Population:...
, Posyet
Posyet
Posyet is an urban locality in Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia, and an ice-free port on the Possiet Bay. Population:...
, Zarubino
Zarubino, Primorsky Krai
Zarubino is an urban locality in Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia, and a port on the Posyet Bay. Population: It was established on October 18, 1928...
and Slavyanka
Slavyanka, Primorsky Krai
Slavyanka is an urban locality and the administrative center of Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia, located on the opposite side of the Amursky Bay as seen from Vladivostok...
.
Rail
Khasan is a railway station on the Far Eastern RailwayFar Eastern Railway
The Far Eastern Railway , a branch of the Russian Railways, is a railway in Russia that crosses Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Oblast, Jewish Autonomous Oblast, and Yakutia. It also services Magadan Oblast, Sakhalin Oblast, Kamchatka Oblast, and Chukotka. The railway administration is...
line from Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
to Rason. It is the link between Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, by a rail bridge over the Tumen River
Tumen River
The Tumen River is a 521 km-long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea, and Russia, rising in Mount Baekdu and flowing into the Sea of Japan....
. The North Korean station in Tumangang Workers' District
Tumangang
Tumangang Workers' District is a town in Sonbong, Rason, North Korea. It is the closest town of North Korea to the border with Russia. Tumangang sits on the Tumen River, and across the river is the Russian town of Khasan. A train connects Khasan with Tumangang and from there to Rason. A road also...
, Sonbong
Sonbong
Sonbong, formerly called Unggi , 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 extension of the Sea of Japan . A uranium mine is allegedly located there, as is a 200 megawatt...
County, is directly across the river. Construction began on the railway line from Baranowski Station to a point 190 km away in the direction opposite of Kraskino, and was completed in 1941. After the Great Patriotic War, the Baranowski-Kraskino line was continued to the border with North Korea, resulting in a total length of 238 km. The end of the line was Khasan Station, located near Lake Khasan. Khasan Station opened for operation on September 28, 1951. It has long remained a dead-end: across the Tumen River, which forms the state border, a temporary wooden bridge was built, which carried its first working train into Korea in 1952. Exchange of goods between the USSR and North Korea by rail through Khasan Station began in 1954. 65 cars or 1,300 tons of cargo were exported from North Korea, with 153 cars or 3,123 tons of cargo being imported. In 1955, 530 cars or 7,200 tons were exported from North Korea, while 295 cars or 4,800 tons of cargo were imported. Two years later the export of goods through Khasan Station grew by 14 times, and imports by 16 times. The temporary wooden bridge was inadequate for the increasing traffic, so in 1959 it was decided to build, jointly by the two countries, a bridge with metal spans on stone abutments, called the "Friendship Bridge". It was commissioned on August 9, 1959. There is a break in gauge between the two railroads since the Russian railroad system is 1,520 mm and the North Korean railroad system is 1,435 mm. This line is currently little used, with only 10,000 passengers being carried in 2005. In 1988, the two-way cargo traffic exceeded 5 million tons annually, but by 2001 the total volume had dropped to only 144,000 tons. In 1989, 830,000 tons of freight passed through the border from Russia (Khasan) to North Korea (Tumangang). By 1998 this number stood at 150,000 tons, and by 2001, only 92,000 tons of freight crossed the border, according to the Far East customs office. The Korean portion from Tumangang
Tumangang
Tumangang Workers' District is a town in Sonbong, Rason, North Korea. It is the closest town of North Korea to the border with Russia. Tumangang sits on the Tumen River, and across the river is the Russian town of Khasan. A train connects Khasan with Tumangang and from there to Rason. A road also...
to the port of Rajin was destroyed in the 1950s.
Throughout the 1990s, the state of the railroad deteriorated sharply due to the economic crisis in Russia. By 1996, North Korea owed $20 million to the Russian railway operator, Russian Railways
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
. This debt had accumulated over the previous 5 years as North Korea seized and used Russian train cars that were in North Korea. The situation led to the Ministry of Railways of Russia issuing a directive forbidding the passage of trains from Khasan to North Korea, effectively isolating North Korea from the Russian market. The crisis was resolved in September 1996, when North Korea agreed to pay $26 million of the debt. At the beginning of the 21st century the situation improved, and capital investments were made to improve and modernize the railway system in the area. The rail station got a new roof in 2002, and the railroad bed was raised, using crushed stones, in 2002/3. On 2001 Russian Railways laid a fiber optic link from Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk is a city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, located in the fertile valley of the Razdolnaya River, north of Vladivostok and about from both the Chinese border and the Pacific Ocean. Population: -Medieval history:...
to to Khasan railway station, which made it possible to connect Khasan to the unified data system of the trains in the Far East.
On April 2008, Russia and North Korea signed a long-awaited deal to rebuild the railway line to North Korea. Under the deal, the two countries will renovate the rail line from Russia's border town of Khasan to the North Korean port of Rajin, where sea cargo to and from South Korea could be unloaded. To implement the project, the Russian Railways Trading House and the Port of Rajin set up a joint venture. It will ensure investments in the project, as well as employing contractors for design and construction work. The joint venture is to last 49 years, with 70 percent of the shares belonging to Russia and 30 percent to North Korea. On Saturday, October 4, 2008 Russian railwaymen began renovating the Khasan-Rajin railway section.
Road
The reconstructed Khasan-Razdolnoye Road connecting Khasan, the port towns of ZarubinoZarubino, Primorsky Krai
Zarubino is an urban locality in Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia, and a port on the Posyet Bay. Population: It was established on October 18, 1928...
and Posyet
Posyet
Posyet is an urban locality in Khasansky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia, and an ice-free port on the Possiet Bay. Population:...
and village of Razdolnoye, Nadezhdinsky District was completed in November 2007.