Kilju County

Coordinates: 40°57′43″N 129°20′12″E / 40.96194°N 129.33667°E / 40.96194; 129.33667

Kilju County 길주군
County
Korean transcription(s)
• Hanja	吉州郡
• McCune-Reischauer	Kilju-gun
• Revised Romanization	Gilju-gun
Country	North Korea
Province	North Hamgyong Province
Administrative divisions	1 ŭp, 5 worker's districts, 22 ri

Kilju, sometimes romanized as Kilchu, is a county in North Hamgyong province, North Korea. The county seat is Kilju Town.

History

The area around Kilju was part of the ancient Goguryeo kingdom, and was long inhabited by various Jurchen tribes. In 1107 it was annexed by Goryeo, who gave it its current name (meaning "province of good fortune"). After the ascension of Joseon Dynasty, Kilju was promoted to county in 1398, and in 1509 the county was included in the newly formed Hamgyong Province In 1895, during a reorganization of regional governments, Hamgyong was dissolved and replaced with several small departments; Kilju county was then annexed to the newly formed Kyongsong Department. In 1896 however, the new organization was abandoned, with the departments re-organized into North and South Hamgyong provinces; Kilju was then placed into North Hamgyong, where it remains to this day. During the Japanese occupation, the county was used for manufacturing telecommunications equipment and electric insulation.

Geography

Kilju is located in the southern part of North Hamgyong. It borders Myŏngch'ŏn on the east, Kimch'aek and Hwadae to the south, Myŏnggan (Hwasŏng) and Ŏrang to the north. To the west it borders Tanch'ŏn in South Hamgyŏng and Paegam in Ryanggang.

Kilju stands at the junction of the Hamgyŏng Mountains and the Maryŏng Mountains, and its northwestern region is mountainous.

Climate

The average annual temperature is 7.5 °C (-7.6 °C in January and 22.2 °C in August).

Culture

Tourist sites in Kilju include the former Kilju Magistrate's Hall, built in 1888 to house the office, and the Kilju Hyanggyo, one of the provincial schools founded during the Yi dynasty to teach the children of the rural Yangban (scholar-aristocrats) who lived in the area. ^[1]) The Pukkwan Victory Monument, located in this county before the 1950s redistricting, is now located just across the border in what is now Kimchaek city.

Transportation

In addition to its airport, the county is served by the Pyongra Line railway, which stops at Kilju Chongnyon Station and connects it to Pyongyang and Rason. The city is also linked by road to Hamhung and Chongjin.

Military and nuclear tests

A number of military facilities are known or believed to be located in Kilju. These include the Hwadae-ri atomic weapons training facility. This was first built with Soviet assistance in 1958, and rose to international prominence when the 2006 North Korean nuclear test, the 2009 North Korean nuclear test and the 2013 North Korean nuclear test were reported to have been held at Mantapsan in the northernmost part of the county. The Musudan-ri missile facility is located in nearby Hwadae county, and a separate Scud facility has been reported in the area.

Administrative divisions

The county is divided into one town (ŭp), five worker's districts (rodongjagu), and 22 villages (ri). ^[2]

See also

• Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site

References

1. ↑ http://www.cybernk.net/infoText/InfoRelicDetail.aspx?mc=DR0101&sc=A405050&tid=DR010100010615
2. ↑ "북한지명사전". 

• Global Security profile, with extensive background information

• (Korean) In Korean language online encyclopedias:
  • Doosan Encyclopedia (Encyber)
  • Korean language Britannica (Empas) (Map)
  • Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (Empas)
  • Pascal World Encyclopedia (Nate)

North Hamgyŏng Province Capital Chongjin Cities Chongjin Hoeryong Kimchaek Counties Hwadae Kilju Kyonghung Kyongsong Kyongwon Musan Myongchon Myonggan Onsong Orang Puryong Yonsa