Sonbong County

Sonbong County, formerly called Unggi (Chosŏn'gŭl: 웅기, Hancha: 雄基), is a subdivision of the North Korean city of Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering Russia and China. It lies on Unggi Bay, an extension of the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea). A uranium mine is allegedly located there, as is a 200 megawatt oil-fired power plant.[2] The word Sonbong means "Vanguard" in Korean.

Sŏnbong County

선봉군
County
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hancha先鋒郡
 • McCune-ReischauerSŏnbong-gun
 • Revised RomanizationSeonbong-gun
CountryNorth Korea
Special CityRasŏn-tŭkpyŏlsi
Administrative divisions1 ŭp, 2 workers' districts, 10 ri
Population
 ([1])
 • Total27,331

The Sonbong Revolutionary Site there is dedicated to a visit by Kim Jong-suk in November 1945 "upholding the policy of building a new country advanced by President Kim Il Sung" after the liberation of Korea. It includes the Sonbong Revolutionary Museum, a monument to the historic site, and the house where she stayed.[3]

Administrative divisions

Sonbong County is divided into 1 town ("Ŭp"), 2 worker's districts ("Rodongjagu") and 10 villages ("Ri"):

  • Sŏnbong-ŭp (선봉읍/先鋒邑)
  • Tuman'gang-rodongjagu (두만강로동자구/豆滿江勞動者區)
  • Ungsang-rodongjagu (웅상로동자구/雄尙勞動者區)
  • Chosal-li (조산리/造山里)
  • Hahoe-ri (하회리/下檜里)
  • Hayŏp'yŏng-ri (하여평리/下汝坪里)
  • Hongŭi-ri (홍의리/洪儀里)
  • Kulp'o-ri (굴포리/屈浦里)
  • Paekhang-ri (백학리/白鶴里)
  • Pup'o-ri (부포리/鮒浦里)
  • Sahoe-ri (사회리/四會里)
  • Uam-ri (우암리/牛岩里)
  • Wŏnjŏng-ri (원정리/元汀里)

Climate
Sonbong has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with mild to warm, rainy summers and cold, long winters. Seasons are somewhat moderated by the presence of the Sea of Japan.
Climate data for Sonbong-up
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −4
(25)		 −2
(29)		 4
(39)		 10
(50)		 15
(59)		 17
(63)		 22
(71)		 24
(75)		 21
(69)		 14
(58)		 6
(43)		 −1
(30)		 11
(51)
Average low °C (°F) −11
(12)		 −9
(16)		 −3
(26)		 2
(36)		 8
(46)		 13
(55)		 17
(63)		 18
(65)		 12
(54)		 5
(41)		 −2
(29)		 −8
(18)		 4
(39)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 5.1
(0.2)		 7.6
(0.3)		 20
(0.8)		 28
(1.1)		 71
(2.8)		 100
(4)		 120
(4.6)		 200
(7.9)		 120
(4.7)		 61
(2.4)		 23
(0.9)		 10
(0.4)		 770
(30.2)
Source: Weatherbase [4]

Transportation

Sonbong is North Korea's rail link to Russia. A rail bridge crosses the Tumen River between the border rail stations of Tumangang Workers' District, Sonbong, and Khasan, Russia. This connection lies on one of two proposed paths for linking South Korea by rail to the Trans-Siberian Railroad and the rest of Eurasia, the other being through Sinuiju. The rail link through Sonbong is lightly used, carrying only 10,000 passengers in 2005.[5]

Sonbong is one terminus of the Hambuk Line railroad. It is also served by roads.

There is a seaport and a wharf at Sonbong Port.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Sonbong, North Korea". Geoba.se. Retrieved Jan 8, 2013.
  2. "Unggi/Sonbong-gun". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2006-01-24.
  3. "Revolutionary Sites Associated with Immortal Exploits of Kim Jong Suk". KCNA. 22 December 2003. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014.
  4. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Sonbong-up, North Korea". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  5. Blagov, Sergei (September 11, 2006). "Russia, China, Japan and South Korea to launch new sea route linking China and Japan". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2006-11-15.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.