Hamhung

Hamhŭng(Hamhŭng-si;Korean pronunciation:[hamɣɯŋ]) isNorth Korea'ssecond-most populous city, and the capital ofSouth HamgyŏngProvince. Located in the southern part of the South Hamgyong province, Hamhung is the main and most populous metropolitan area in the province. Hamhung wascentrally plannedand built by thegovernmentof North Korea.
Hamhŭng isdividedinto 7guyŏk(wards):
Hamhŭng is on the left branch of theCh'ŏngch'ŏn River, on the eastern part of the Hamhŭng plain (함흥평야), in South Hamgyŏng Province, northeast North Korea. Its highest point is Mount Tonghŭng, which is 319 m (1,047 ft) high.
Hamhung has ahumid continental climate(Köppen climate classification:Dwa), with warm, humid summers, and moderately cold, dry winters. Being located by theSea of Japan, its climate is directly influenced by it, resulting in warmer winters and cooler summers than areas similar in latitude on the western coast. The longer period of warmer temperatures favors the growing of crops.
The city was called either Hamju (as recorded in 1108, the third year ofKing Yejeong) or Hamjumok (as recorded in 1369, 18th year ofKing Gongmin). It received its current name of Hamhung in 1416, when it was promoted to a 'bu'. TheSino-Korean word'흥' (Hancha: 興), added to the original name of Hamju, means that the town would prosper.
Yi Seong-gye, founder of theYi dynasty, retired to the city after a successful palace coup by his sonYi Bang-wonin 1400. Though his son sent envoys to reconcile, his father had them killed. A modern Korean expression, 'King's envoy to Hamhŭng' (Korean:함흥차사;Hanja:咸興差使;RR:Hamheungchasa;MR:hamhŭngchasa), refers to a person who goes on a journey and is never heard from again.It was known asKankōduringJapanese rule of Koreabetween 1910 and 1945. It was liberated by theRed Armyon 22 August 1945.
The city was 80–90% destroyed by American air raids during theKorean War(1950–1953) and was occupied byROKtroops between 17 October 1950 and 17 December 1950. From 1955 to 1962, Hamhŭng was the object of a large-scale program of reconstruction and development byEast Germanyincluding the build-up of construction-related industries and intense training measures for Korean construction workers, engineers, city planners and architects. When theBauhaustrained architectKonrad Püschel, the first Head of City Planning for the reconstruction project arrived in 1955, he was accompanied by about 175 members of theDeutsche Arbeitsgruppe (DAG)orGerman Working Group Hamhungas the project team was called.The project ended two years earlier than scheduled and with a low profile because of theSino-Soviet conflictand the opposing positions that North Korea and East Germany took on that issue.
From 1960 to 1967, Hamhŭng was administered separately from South Hamgyŏng as aDirectly Governed City(Chikhalsi). Before 1960 and since 1967, the city has been part of South Hamgyŏng Province.
In 1995, Hamhŭng witnessed, thus far, one of the only documented challenges to the North Koreangovernmentwhenfamine-ravagedsoldiersbegan a march towardPyongyang. The revolt was quelled, and the unit of soldiers was disbanded.
TheNorth Korean famine of the 1990sappears to have had a disproportionate effect on the people of Hamhung.Andrew Natsios, a former aid worker, USAID administrator, and author ofThe Great North Korean Famine, described Hamhung as "the city most devastated by [the] famine."Contemporary published reports fromThe Washington PostandReutersdescribe numerous fresh graves on the surrounding hillsides and report that many of Hamhung's children were stunted by malnutrition. One survivor claimed that more than 10% of the city's population died, with another 10% fleeing the city in search of food.Despite previously being closed to foreigners, foreign nationals can now travel to Hamhung through the few approved North Korean tour operators.
There is speculation that Hamhung, with its high proportion of chemists and the site of a chemical-industrial complex built by the Japanese during World War II, might be the center forNorth Korea's methamphetamine production.
Hamhung is much more economically diverse than most cities in North Korea, as Hamhung has many uniqueindustries. Hamhung'sruralareas are used forfarm landandfood distributionthrough thecommunity. These lands mainly consist of paddies, but other crops are grown in small portion as well. Hamhŭng is an importantchemical industrycenter in the DPRK.It is an industrial city which serves as a major port forNorth Korean foreign trade. Production includestextiles(particularlyvinalon), metalware, machinery, refined oil and processed food.2·8 vinalon union enterpriseis located here.
While prior toliberation of KoreaHamhung had an extremely backwards economy due to the destructive actions of the Japanese, the city was rapidly developed afterwards, with new industrial districts being built and being broken free of colonial acquisitions of material. Much of the heavy industrial equipment used in other cities are built in Hamhung, and its production contributes to the monumental construction of buildings under projects launched by the Workers' Party.
The city is atransportationhub, connecting various eastern ports and the northern interior area. Hamhung Station is on thePyongra Linerailway. This city is connected by air too, withSondok Airport. The city is also served by the narrow gauge, commuterSoho Linelinking West Hamhung to Hungnam, via February 28 Vinylon factory.
The city has a largetrolleybusnetwork, which opened in 1973 with the Hoyang - Doksong line, with a depot located at the northern Doksong terminus. The second and third lines, a pair of intercity lines fromHamhung stationto theHungnamarea, was opened on 27 July 1991. This line had two branches, one to Hungdok and one to Ryongsong with the depot in Hungdok, though the latter line was closed and dismantled sometime in the early 2000s. A set of overhead wires connects the two separate lines, though there is no regular movement on this line. The lines were served by 28 trolleybuses in 2013.
Hamhŭng hosts theHamhŭng Grand Theatre, the largest theatre in North Korea.A nationalmuseumis located in Hamhŭng. Hamhŭng is also well known forNaengmyeon, a traditional Korean style cold buckwheat noodle.Unlike Pyongyang cold noodle, Hamhŭng cold noodles tends to be more spicy, zesty, and have more garnish over the buckwheat noodle.
Hamhŭng is home to theHamhung University of Education,Hamhŭng University of Pharmacy,Hamhung University of Chemical IndustryandHamhŭng University of Medicine. Professional colleges in Hamhŭng include the Hamhŭng College of Quality Control, the Hamhŭng Hydrographic and Power College, and the Hamhŭng College of Electronics and Automation. There is also a branch academy of science.
In 2018, theSouth Hamgyong Sci-Tech Library, the largest facility of its kind outside Pyongyang, opened in the city.
Tworeeducation campsare located near Hamhung:Kyo-hwa-so No. 9is in northeastern Hamhung, andKyo-hwa-so No. 22is inYonggwang Countynorth of Hamhung.
Hamhung istwinnedwith: