Kanggye
North Korea · Asia
About Kanggye
Kanggye is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 251,971. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
In December 1949, Kanggye-myon was promoted to Kanggye-si.
During the Korean War, after being driven from Pyongyang, Kim Il Sung and his government temporarily moved the capital to Kanggye after first moving temporarily to Sinuiju. The city was firebombed in November 1950 on American general Douglas MacArthur's orders after the Chinese People's Volunteer Army turned the course of the war; at least 65% of the city was destroyed. The following month Kim presided over a plenum of the cabinet at Kanggye, where he assigned blame for what he claimed were military failures during the losing phase of the war.
Kanggye is home to an open-air stadium and is also home to the Kanggye Riding Club, which was built in 2024. Kanggye has scenic walkways along the Changja River and a small waterpark.
Other places of interest include Inphung Pavilion and Mount Ryonhwa. Tourist...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.