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, South Hamgyong to the southwest and Ryanggang to the west. To the east is the Sea of Japan. The province is home to the Musudan-ri rocket launching site and the Hoeryong concentration camp. In 2004, Rason was reabsorbed back into the province and since 2010, Rason has been a special city of North Korea.
Economy In critical studies of North Korea, North Hamgyong has a reputation as a neglected and underdeveloped region even by the country's standards. It was where the 1990s famine hit hardest, and food shortages persist even in the 2020s."North Hamgyong Province convenes meeting to address food shortages" Daily NK The majority of North Korean defectors who live in South Korea came from the province after crossing the relatively shallow Tumen River into China. Therefore, the conditions of the province, which analyst Fyodor Tertitskiy has described as "not only a very grim, but also a very boring place," tend to be projected onto the whole country, even though they are not representative.
Administrative divisions North Hamgyong is divided into three cities (si) and 12 counties (kun). These are further divided into villages (ri) in rural areas and dong (neighborhoods) in cities. Some cities are also divided into wards known as "kuyŏk", which are administered just below the city level.
Cities Chongjin (Capital)청진시/ Hoeryong회령시/ Kimchaek김책시/
Counties
Hwadae County화대군/ Kilju County길주군/ Kyonghung County경흥군/ Kyongsong County경성군/ Kyongwon County경원군/ Musan County무산군/ Myongchon County명천군/ Myonggan County명간군/ Onsong County온성군/ Orang County어랑군/ Puryong County부령군/ Yonsa County연사군/
In popular culture Cha Ki-seong (played by Kim Joo-hyuk), the main antagonist of the 2017 South Korean action comedy film Confidential Assignment is revealed to be a native of Hoeryong, one of the main cities of North Hamgyong Province. One of the main characters of Netflix's South Korean thriller series Squid Game, Kang Sae-byeok (played by Jung Ho-yeon) is a North Korean defector who is originally from North Hamgyong Province and lived there before defecting with her younger brother Kang Cheol to South Korea.
See also
Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site 2006 North Korean nuclear test Administrative divisions of North Korea
References