Location of Hamhung

Hamhung (Hamhung-si) is North Korea's second largest city ( population 874,000 ), and the capital of South Hamgyong Province. In late 2005, nearby Hongnam was made a ward within Hamhung-si.

It was the commercial and local administrative centre of northeastern Korea during the Yi dynasty (1392 - 1910). During the Japanese occupation it was known as Kanko . It began to develop rapidly as a modern industrial city with the construction in 1928 of a large nitrogenous fertilizer plant at its seaport, Hungnam, 7.5 miles (12 km) southeast, and of hydroelectric power plants on the nearby Pujon and Changjin rivers.

 North Korea guide

This new Bradt guide explores every aspect of visiting North Korea, from day-to-day practicalities to an overview of the history that lies behind this troubled region and the culture that still unites the Korean people.

North Korean movies

map of Hamhung city area

Hamhung naengmyun

Hamhung in famous for its naengmyun."cold noodles," is a Korean dish that is extremely popular during the summer. It consists of several varieties of thin, hand-made noodles (typically made from arrowroot (칡냉면/chilk naengmyeon) or buckwheat (메밀냉면/memil naengmyeon flour), and is served in a large bowl with a tangy iced broth, raw julienned vegetables, a slice of a Korean pear, and often a boiled egg and/or cold beef .

Hamhung Theater

History of Hamhung

Hamhung was one of the capitals of the Parhae kingdom ( 渤海  698-926 AD). The founder of the Choson (Yi) dynasty , Seonggye (이성계; 1335 - 1408) was born in Hamhung.

Hamhung in 1906

In 1946 there was a protest march against the Communist Party

Battle of Hamhung

The city was heavily destroyed (80 - 90%) during the Korean War. From 1955 - 1962, Hamhung 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.

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

In 1995, Hamhung 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.

Hamhung today

Hamhung 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.

Kim Jong Il visits a factory in Hamhung

Links

Washington Post 1997 article on Hamhung

1950 article about Hamhung

Offical Webpage of DPR Korea

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Links

Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty

A dual portrait of Orwellian leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il traces events from the end of World War II to the present, cites North Korea's stockpile of chemical weapons, describes Kim Il-Sung's numerous leadership roles, and warns readers about the threat posed by North Korea to American security.

Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World's Most Repressive Country

Kim chronicles his effort to lead North Korean refugees through the 6,000-mile underground railway through China in this exposé of the astonishing day-to-day realities of famine, religious oppression, torture and sexual abuse in the most secretive and impoverished member of the axis of evil.

North Korean money