Kaesong
From Free net encyclopedia
| Kaesong City | |
|---|---|
| Korean Name | |
| McCune-Reischauer | Kaesŏng-si |
| Revised Romanization | Gaeseong-si |
| Hangul | 개성시 |
| Hanja | 開城市 |
| Short Name | Gaeseong (Kaesŏng; 개성; 開城) |
| Statistics | |
| Population | 145,000 (est. circa 2000) |
| Area | ? |
| Government | City in North Hwanghae; former Directly Governed City |
| Split from | Gyeonggi, 1951 |
| Joined | North Hwanghae, 2003 |
| Dialect | Seoul |
| Location Map (Note: Map shows boundaries of former Kaesŏng Directly Governed City) | |
| Image:NK-kaesong.png | |
Image:Kaesong.jpg Kaesŏng (Gaeseong) is a city in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region.
When Yi Songgye overthrew the Koryo Dynasty in 1392 and established the Choson Dynasty, he moved the Korean capital from Kaesŏng to Hanyang (modern-day Seoul). Kaesŏng remained a part of Kyonggi Province until the Korean War. In 1951, the city (which had been part of South Korea) came under North Korean control, and the area around the city was organized into "Kaesŏng Region" (Kaesŏng Chigu; 개성 지구; 開城 地區). In 1955, Kaesŏng became a "Directly Governed City" (Kaesŏng Chikhalsi; 개성 직할시; 開城 直轄市). In 2002, Kaesŏng Industrial Region was formed from part of Kaesŏng. In 2003, the remaining part of Kaesŏng (exluding the Industrial Region) became part of North Hwanghae Province.
The city is close to the Demilitarized Zone that divides North and South Korea.
Contents |
Former Administrative Divisions
Before 2002, Kaesŏng Directly Governed City was divided into 1 city (Kaesŏng itself) and 3 counties.
- Kaesŏng-si (개성시, 開城市)
- Changp'ung-gun (장풍군; 長豊郡)
- Kaep'ung-gun (개풍군; 開豊郡)
- P'anmun-gun (판문군; 板門郡)
In 2003, P'anmun-gun and part of Kaesŏng-si were separated from Kaesŏng Directly Governed City and merged to form Kaesŏng Industrial Region. The remaining part of Kaesŏng joined North Hwanghae in 2002.
It was formally named Songdo while it was the ancient capital of Koryo. It prospered as a trade center that produced Korean Ginseng, which is famous internationally. It is now the DPRK's light industry centre.
Geography
Located in central Korea, along with Kyonggi Province, North Hwanghae Province, South Hwanghae Province and Kangwon Province. Kanghwa Island of Inchon Municipality lies just south, beyond a narrow channel. It covers an area of 1,309 km², the urban district is surrounded by Mountain Songal (489m) and Mountain Pongmyong.
Transportation
Kaesŏng is connected to Pyongyang and other cities by rail, highways and a dual purpose military and civilian air station.
Culture
Koryo Songgyungwan University (Light Industry), Communist University and Art College are located in Kaesŏng. Kaesong history museum has a lot of Koryo arts and cultural relics including Chomsongdae, Manwol Pavilion, Kaesong Nam Gate, Anhwa Temple, the Tomb of King Wanggon and the Tomb of King Kongmin. The suburbs have vestiges of the palaces of the previous royal dynasties. Twenty-four km north of Kaesŏng is the Pagyon Falls and Taehung Castle.
Industry
Kaesŏng is DPRK’s light industry centre. The urban district is equipped with a jewel processing factory, ginseng processing factory and an embroidery factory.
See also
External links
- Template:Wikitravel
- Korea Tourist Map (English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese)
- German Website about the City of Kaesong
| Administrative divisions of North Korea | Image:Flag of North Korea.svg |
|---|---|
| Directly Governed Cities P'yŏngyang | Rasŏn | |
| Former Directly Governed Cities | |
| Special Administrative Regions Kaesŏng Industrial Region | Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region | Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region | |
| Provinces Chagang | North Hamgyŏng | South Hamgyŏng | North Hwanghae | South Hwanghae | Kangwŏn | North P'yŏngan | South P'yŏngan | Ryanggang | |
