| Sonbong | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 선봉군 |
| Hancha | 先鋒郡 |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏnbong-gun |
| Revised Romanization | Seonbong-gun |
| Statistics | |
| Administrative divisions | 1 ŭp, 2 workers' districts, 10 ri |
Sonbong, formerly called Unggi (Hanja: 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.[1] The word Sonbong means "Vanguard" in Korean.
Contents |
| 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) |
10.5 (50.9) |
| 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) |
3.6 (38.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 5 (0.2) |
8 (0.3) |
20 (0.8) |
28 (1.1) |
71 (2.8) |
102 (4) |
117 (4.6) |
201 (7.9) |
119 (4.7) |
61 (2.4) |
23 (0.9) |
10 (0.4) |
765 (30.1) |
| Source: Weatherbase [1] | |||||||||||||
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.[2]
Sonbong is one terminus of the Hambuk Line railroad. It is also served by roads.