Sinuiju

Sinŭiju
신의주
—  Special City  —
Sinŭiju City
  transcription(s)
 • Chosŏn'gŭl 신의주시
 • Hancha 新義州市
 • Revised Romanization Sineuiju-si
 • McCune-Reischauer Sinŭiju-si
Map of North Pyongan showing the location of Sinŭiju.
Country  North Korea
Region Kwansŏ
Dong 27
Area
 • Total 180 km2 (69.5 sq mi)
Population (2006 (est.))
 • Total 352,000
 • Dialect P'yŏngan
Flower
Tree
Bird

Sinŭiju (Sinŭiju-si) is a city in North Korea, neighboring with Dandong City, China via international border and is the capital of North P'yŏngan Province. Part of the city is included in the Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region, which was established in 2002 to experiment with introducing a market economy.

Contents

History

Developed as a major settlement during the colonial rule at the terminus of a railway bridge across the Yalu River. It is located 7 miles west 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 Yalu River to transport lumber. Additionally, a chemical industry developed after the hydroelectric Sup'ung Dam was built further up the river. In the course of the Korean War the city sustained heavy damage from aerial bombardment, but the city has since been rebuilt.

Economy

An important light industry center in North Korea, it has a plant manufacturing enameled ironware as well as a textile mill, paper mill and an afforestation factory. Much of North Korea's trade with China takes place through Sinuiju. 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.

Transportation

Sinuiju can be reached from P'yongyang by air, having a 1.2 km runway, or electric railway and road. Sinuiju Station is the northern terminus of the Pyongui Line railway from P'yongyang. It is also connected with the Chinese city of Dandong (renamed from Andong) in Liaoning Province (China) by the Yalu River Bridge which is 944 m long (3,097 feet) from end to end, and through the Manchuria Railway links up with the Trans-Siberian railway.

Geography

The border with China is marked by the Yalu (Amnok) River. The city is connected to Dandong in China via the Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge (or China-Korea Friendship Bridge). This is one of the few ways to enter North Korea. The city is a Terminus on the Gyeongui railroad line (known as the P'yŏngui in the North) and is 25 miles (40 km) from the mouth of the Yalu River. The city's altitude is 4 feet, or about one meter.

Climate

The city's average temperature is about 48°F, or 9°C.

Climate data for Sinuiju
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −3
(26)
0
(32)
6
(42)
14
(57)
20
(68)
23
(73)
26
(78)
27
(80)
23
(73)
16
(60)
7
(44)
0
(32)
13.0
(55.4)
Average low °C (°F) −12
(10)
−9
(15)
−2
(28)
3
(37)
9
(48)
15
(59)
20
(68)
19
(66)
13
(55)
6
(42)
−1
(30)
−8
(17)
4.2
(40)
Precipitation mm (inches) 10
(0.4)
10
(0.4)
20
(0.8)
43
(1.7)
71
(2.8)
97
(3.8)
287
(11.3)
249
(9.8)
114
(4.5)
56
(2.2)
33
(1.3)
13
(0.5)
1,003
(39.5)
Source: Weatherbase [1]

Places

Facilities in Sinuiju include Sinuiju High School, Sinuiju Commercial High School, Eastern Middle School, Sinuiju Light Industry University, Sinuiju 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. It is never in use, and was built seemingly as propaganda. Tourists from the Chinese side of the river can rent boats, and this is often the highlight of their glimpse of North Korea. Tourists frequently hire speedboats or slower boats to cruise along the river, in hopes of catching a peek at North Koreans.

Administrative divisions

Sinuiju city is the heart of the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region. The city is currently divided into 24 Dong (동, 洞), and four villages (Ri: 리, 里).[2]

Name Chosŏn'gŭl Hancha
Apkang-dong 압강동 鴨江洞
Chaeha-dong 채하동 彩霞洞
Chongsong-dong 청송동 靑松洞
Haebang-dong 해방동 解放洞
Kaehyok-dong 개혁동 改革洞
Kunhwa-dong 근화동 芹花洞
Kwanmun-dong 관문동 關門洞
Namha-dong 남하동 南下洞
Namjung-dong 남중동 南中洞
Namsang-dong 남상동 南上洞
Namso-dong 남서동 南西洞
Namsong-dong 남송동 南松洞
Oil-dong 오일동 五一洞
Paeksa-dong 백사동 白沙洞
Paekun-dong 백운동 白雲洞
Ponbu-dong 본부동 本部洞
Sinnam-dong 신남동 新南洞
Sinwon-dong 신원동 新元洞
Yokjon-dong 역전동 驛前洞
Hadan-ri 하단리 下端里
Sangdan-ri  상단리 上端里
Taji-ri  다지리 多智里
Songso-ri 성서리 城西里

See also

Further reading

Cathcart, Adam, and Charles Kraus, “Peripheral Influence: The Sinŭiju Student Incident of 1945 and the Impact of Soviet Occupation in North Korea,” Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 13 (2008), pp. 1-28.

References

External links