Chongjin
North Korea · Asia
About Chongjin
Chongjin is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province. It is the country's third-largest city by population and an important port city on the northeastern coast. Originally a small fishing village, it industrialized significantly under Japanese rule and later under the North Korean government.
The city is a hub of trade and industry, despite having suffered heavily during the famine of the 1990s. Sometimes called the "City of Iron", Chongjin is one of North Korea's major industrial centers for steel and fiber. Chongjin also functions as a regional center of transport, culture, and education, and hosts foreign consulates from both China and Russia, a rarity in North Korea.
According to archaeological findings near the lower areas of the Tumen river, evidence of human living traces back to the Paleolithic period.
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, the region was where the tribe kingdoms of Buyeo, Mohe, Okjeo, Yilou, Yemaek and Sushen existed. The region later was the territory of Goguryeo. After the fall of Goguryeo in 668, the...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.