Hoeryong
| Hoeryong 회령 | |
|---|---|
| Municipal City | |
| 회령시 | |
| Korean transcription(s) | |
| • Hanja | 會寧市 |
| • McCune-Reischauer | Hoeryŏng-si |
| • Revised Romanization | Hoeryeong-si |
| Country | North Korea |
| Province | North Hamgyong Province |
| Population | |
| • Total | 134,524 |
Hoeryŏng is a city in North Hamgyŏng Province, North Korea. It is located opposite Jilin Province, China, with the Tumen River in between. Sanhe (三合鎮), in Longjing prefecture, is the closest Chinese town across the river. Hoeryŏng is claimed to be the birthplace of Kim Il Sung's first wife and Kim Jong Il's mother, Kim Jong Suk.[1]
The Hoeryong concentration camp (Kwan-li-so No. 22) is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city.
History
Hoeryong was one of the six post/garrisons (Hangul: 육진, Hanja: 六鎭) established under the order of Sejong the Great of Joseon (1418 - 1450) to safeguard his people from the potentially hostile semi-nomadic Jurchens living north of the Yalu river.
In early May 2007, the newly appointed Prime Minister Kim Yong-il visited Hoeryong. At the time, the Prime Minister brought with him on his train, one carriage worth of glass (made in South Korea) and 3 carriages worth of cement. After delivering the goods to the People’s Committee of Hoeryong he ordered that the city of Hoeryong be decorated and adorned as much as a city where Mother Kim Jong Suk’s birthplace should be.
Later that month, there was a public protest in Hoeryong, the first in recent history anywhere in North Korea. A guard named Ahn Myong-chol was forced to leave Hoeryong concentration camp, for the safety of his family, when someone caught him giving food to one of the prisoners in the concentration camp.[2]
On the 22 June 2007, a source reported that a public trial was held at a City Stadium in Hoeryong, against 15 human traffic suspects and 4 of them were sentenced to death following a period of starvation; with others reported to have defected to the South.[citation needed]
Economy
Hoeryong's main industries are mining machines and a paper mill. The area contains many mines.
Civil unrest
It is reported that on 24 September 2008 only about 20% of Hoeryong's city residents attended a civilian defence-training programme held in Hoeryong City. The other 80% are thought to have stayed home or tended to private patch fields. As punishment, authorities from the Civilian Defence ordered non-attendees to pay KP₩5,000, however this fine was largely ignored.[3]
See also
Notes
- ↑ "Brilliant life of Kim Jong Suk". KCNA. Retrieved 2006-06-28.
- ↑ http://www.nautilus.org/fora/security/06107Lankov.html
- ↑ North Korea Today, No. 28. (2008). Research Institute for North Korean society.
External links
- Location of the four forts and the six posts
- (Korean) In Korean language online encyclopedias:
Coordinates: 42°26′N 129°45′E / 42.433°N 129.750°E
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