Ryongchon
Encyclopedia
Ryongch'ŏn is a kun
Administrative divisions of North Korea
The administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces, two directly governed cities, and three special administrative divisions. The second-level divisions...

 (county) in North P'yǒngan Province, 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...

, at the mouth of the Yalu River
Yalu River
The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....

. The county seat is Ryongchŏn-ŭp, about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from the border with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. The area has a reported population of 27,000 and is a center of chemical and metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...

 production.

Transport

The P'yŏngŭi railway line
Pyongui Line
The P'yŏngŭi Line is a rail line in North Korea connecting the capital city, Pyongyang, with Sinuiju at the northwestern corner of the country. It is the main corridor for overland traffic between North Korea and China, and is one of the country's most important rail lines...

 between China and P'yŏngyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...

 runs through Ryongchŏn and is served by Ryongchon Station. It is the busiest line in the country, crossing the border in nearby Sinŭiju
Sinuiju
Sinŭiju is a city in North Korea, neighboring with Dandong City, China via international border and is the capital of North P'yŏngan Province...

, North Korea and Dandong
Dandong
Dandong , previously known as Andong and Antung, is a city in Liaoning Province, Northeast China. It lies on the border between China and North Korea, which is marked by the Yalu River, and is the largest border city in China. Also, to the southwest of the city, the river flows into Korea Bay...

, China.

Ryongchon disaster

On 22 April 2004, the town suffered a major disaster when a flammable cargo exploded at the town's railway station, causing many deaths and much destruction, known as the Ryongchŏn disaster
Ryongchon disaster
The Ryongchŏn disaster was a train disaster that occurred in the town of Ryongchŏn, North Korea, near the border with the People's Republic of China on April 22, 2004....

.

Protests

In February 2011, the area and others in North Pyongan had rare protests, of a few score of people, calling for adequate provision of rice and power. At the time, news of the uprisings in the Middle East
2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...

were spreading via Chinese TV channels and phone calls with defectors.

External links

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