Sinuiju

Sinŭiju (; ) is a city in North Korea which faces Dandong, Liaoning, China, across the international border of the Yalu River. It is the capital of North P'yŏngan province. Part of the city is included in the planned Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region, which was proclaimed in 2002 and intended to experiment with introducing a market economy. In recent years the city has seen increasing tourism from China.

Geography

Sinŭiju is bordered by the Amnok River, and by P'ihyŏn and Ryongch'ŏn counties. The city's altitude is 1 metre (4 feet) above sea level. There are several islands at the mouth of the Amnok River - Wihwa-do, Rim-do, Ryuch'o-do and Tongryuch'o-do.

Administrative divisions Sinuiju city is the heart of the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region. The city is currently divided into 49 tong (neighbourhoods) and 9 ri (villages):

Name Chosŏn'gŭl Hancha May 1-dong (O-il-dong) () Apkang-dong Chaeha-dong Chinsŏn 1-dong Chinsŏn 2-dong Ch'ŏngsong-dong Haebang-dong Kaehyŏk-dong Kosŏng-dong Kŭnhwa-dong Majŏn-dong Minpho-dong Namha-dong Namjung-dong Nammin-dong Namsang-dong Namsŏ-dong Namsong-dong Paekun-dong Paeksa-dong Paekto-dong Pangjik-tong Ponbu-dong P'anmun-dong P'ungsŏ 1-dong P'ungsŏ 2-dong P'yŏnghwa-dong Rakwŏn 1-dong Rakwŏn 2-dong Rakch'ŏng 1-dong Rakchŏng 2-dong Ryŏnsang 1-dong Ryŏnsang 2-dong Ryusang 1-dong Ryusang 2-dong Sinnam-dong Sinp'o-dong Sinwŏn-dong Sŏkha 1-dong Sŏkha 2-dong Songhan-dong Sŏnsang-dong Sumun-dong Tongha-dong Tongjung-dong Tongsang-dong Wai-dong Yŏkchŏn-dong Yŏnha-dong Chungjae-ri Hadan-ri Ryucho-ri Samgyo-ri Samryong-ri Sangdan-ri　 Sŏngsŏ-ri Taji-ri　 Tosŏng-ri

History Developed as a major settlement during Japanese colonial rule at the terminus of a railway bridge across the Amrok River, Sinuiju is located 11 km (7 miles) south by southwest of Ŭiju, the old city from whose name Sinŭiju (meaning “New Ŭiju”) derives. As an open port, it grew commercially with the logging industry which uses the Amnok River to transport lumber. Additionally, a chemical industry developed after the hydroelectric Sup'ung Dam was built further up the river.

During the Korean War, after being driven from P'yŏngyang, Kim Il Sung and his government temporarily moved the capital to Sinŭiju - although as United Nations Command forces approached, the government again moved - this time to Kanggye. On 7 November 1950, the city sustained heavy damage during an aerial bombardment from the United States Air Force; 95 percent of the city was destroyed.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: However, the city has since been rebuilt.

In 2018, a master plan for the redevelopment of the city was unveiled and shown to Kim Jong Un, which would have featured many high rise buildings and parks, centered around the road leading to the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Ultimately, this plan has yet to be fulfilled, with the only major work completed being the repaving of roads leading to the statues and the red coloured, circular apartment building behind and the Sinuiju Youth Open Air Theatre's completion, although the industrial areas in the city have seen some reconstruction.

Economy

An important light industry centre in North Korea, Sinŭiju has a plant manufacturing enamelled ironware as well as a textile mill, paper mill and an afforestation factory. Its southwest harbour has a shipyard, although the shipyard's main function is seemingly to dismantle ships for scrap metal and other usable materials rather than building new ships. The area has recycling plants which recycle a wide range of material, including products that are banned for recycling in China. The Sinŭiju Cosmetics Factory is located in South Sinŭiju (Namsinŭiju).

Trade with China A substantial portion of North Korea's international trade, both legal and illegal, passes through Sinuiju and Dandong, across the Yalu River.

Agriculture In 2026, a major greenhouse complex called the Sinŭiju Combined Greenhouse Farm was completed on Wihwa Island. Spanning approximately 450 hectares, this complex was developed over an area that previously suffered from floods in 2024.

Transportation

Sinŭiju can be reached from P'yŏngyang by air, railway, and road. It can be reached from Dandong in China by crossing the Amnok River by bridge or boat. Foreign tourists on excursion boats from Dandong are sometimes permitted to approach within a few meters of the city's coastline, as long as they do not land.

Air Sinŭiju's airport has a single turf runway 03/21 measuring .Landings database page "Landings.Com", accessed 06 Aug 2010, Air Koryŏ operates passenger and cargo flights from P'yŏngyang.

Rail

Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn Station is the northern terminus of the Korean State Railway's P'yŏngŭi Line from P'yŏngyang; the district is also served by several other stations on the P'yŏngŭi line, as well as the Tŏkhyŏn and Paengma lines. It is also connected with the Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning Province in China by the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, which is long from end to end, and through the Manchuria Railway links up with the Trans-Siberian Railway. The factories of the city of Sinŭiju are provided with railway service via the Kang'an Line.

Urban transit Sinuiju has a trolleybus line that runs from the city centre to the railway station. It was reopened in October 2020 with new trolleybuses derived from the Pyongyang Chollima-321 trolleybus. It formerly had another line running from the Sinuiju Chongnyon Station to Ragwon Machine Complex that closed between 2005 and 2009 with the reconstruction of the highway with a shifted alignment.

Climate Sinŭiju has a monsoonal humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa) with hot, humid and stormy summers and cold, dry winters with little snowfall.

Places of interest

Facilities in Sinŭiju include Sinŭiju High School, Sinŭiju Commercial High School, Eastern Middle School, Sinŭiju Light Industry University, Sinŭiju University of Medicine and the Sinuiju University of Education. Scenic sites include the Tonggun Pavilion, Waterfall, and Hot Springs.

There also is a Ferris wheel overlooking the Yalu River, reportedly broken.

Notable people Sohn Kee-chung, South Korean Olympic athlete and long-distance runner Suh Chong Kang, South Korean martial artist Yi Sung-sun, South Korean street knight Yushoku Cho, Japanese speed skater

Sinuiju

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