Hamhung

Hamhŭng City
Central square, Hamhung
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	함흥시
Hancha	咸興市
McCune–Reischauer	Hamhŭng-si
Revised Romanization	Hamheung-si
Statistics
Area	330 km2 (130 sq mi)
Population (2005 est.)	874,000
Population density	2,648 /km2 (6,860 /sq mi)
Government	Capital of South Hamgyŏng; former Directly Governed City*
Administrative divisions	Hŭngnam-kuyŏk, ?
Region	Kwannam
Dialect	Hamgyŏng
Notes
*Administered as a Directly Governed City from 1960—1967.

Hamhŭng (Hamhŭng-si; Korean pronunciation: [hamɣɯŋ-ɕi]) is North Korea's second largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyŏng Province. In late 2005, nearby Hŭngnam was made a ward (kuyŏk) within Hamhŭng-si.^[1]

Geography

Hamhŭng is on the left branch of the Sŏngch'ŏn River, on the eastern part of the Hamhŭng plain (함흥평야), in South Hamgyŏng Province, northeast North Korea. The Tonghŭngsan is 319 km high.

History

The city was heavily destroyed (80–90%) during the Korean War. From 1955–1962, Hamhŭng was the object of a large-scale program of reconstruction and development by East Germany including the build-up of various construction-related industries and intense training measures for Korean construction workers, engineers, city planners and architects. The project ended two years earlier than scheduled and with a low profile because of the Sino-Soviet conflict and the opposing positions that North Korea and East Germany took on that issue.^[2]

From 1960 to 1967, Hamhŭng was administered separately from South Hamgyŏng as a Directly Governed City (Chikhalsi), but before 1960, and since 1967, the city has been part of South Hamgyŏng Province.

In 1995, Hamhŭng witnessed, thus far, the only documented challenge to the North Korean government when famine-ravaged soldiers began a march toward Pyongyang. The revolt was quelled and the unit of soldiers was disbanded.

The North Korean famine of the 1990s appears to have had a disproportionate effect on the people of Hamhung. Andrew Natsios, a former aid worker, USAID Administrator, and author of The Great North Korean Famine, described Hamhung as "the city most devastated by [the] famine."^[3] Contemporary published reports from The Washington Post^[4] and Reuters^[5] describe the presence of numerous fresh graves on the surrounding hillsides, and report that many of Hamhung's children were stunted by malnutrition. One survivor claimed that more than 10% of the city's population died, with another 10% fleeing the city in search of food.^[6]

Economy

Hamhŭng is an important chemical industry center in the DPRK. It is an industrial city which serves as a major port for North Korean foreign trade. Production includes textiles (particularly vinalon), metalware, machinery, refined oil and processed food.

Transportation

The city is a transportation hub, connecting various eastern ports and the northern interior area.

Culture

It has a national museum and a branch academy of science.

Hamhŭng is home to the Hamhŭng University of Education, Hamhŭng University of Pharmacy, Hamhŭng University of Chemistry and Hamhŭng University of Medicine. Professional colleges in Hamhǔng include the Hamhǔng College of Quality Control, the Hamhŭng Hydrographic and Power College, and the Hamhǔng College of Electronics and Automation.

Hamhŭng also hosts the biggest theatre in North Korea.

Food

Hamhŭng is famous for its naengmyŏn.

People born in Hamhŭng

• Yi Seonggye (이성계; 1335–1408), the founder of the Chosŏn dynasty, Korea's last royal line
• Ahn Soo-kil (안수길; 1911–1977), writer
• Richard E. Kim (born 1932), writer
• Yoon Kwang-cho (윤광조; born 1946), ceramic artist
• Yang Hyong-sop (born 1925), President of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1984-1998

See also

• List of cities in North Korea
• Geography of North Korea
• List of Provinces of Balhae

Footnotes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hamhung

• North Korea Uncovered, (North Korea Google Earth) Maps out Hamhung's economic infrastructure, including railways, hotels, tourist destinations, cultural facilities, ports, and electricity grid on Google Earth.
• Hamhung, Haunted City, Compares newly revealed Google Earth imagery of Hamhung—imagery which reveals many of the hills around the city to be packed with graves—with published reports of severe famine in Hamhung during the 1990s.

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Coordinates: 39°55′N 127°32′E / 39.917°N 127.533°E / 39.917; 127.533