Provinces of North Korea

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Provinces of The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea
Provinces of Korea (DPRK point of view)-en+Inter-Korean border.svg
Category Unitary state
Location North Korea
Number16 (8 controlled by DPRK, 7 controlled by ROK & 1 split between DPRK and ROK)
Populations719,269 (Ryanggang Province) – 4,051,696 (South Pyongan)
Areas11,255 km2 (4,346 sq mi) (Kangwon) – 18,970 km2 (7,320 sq mi) (South Hamgyong) – 28,955 km2 (11,180 sq mi) (Kangwon including ROK controlled-parts)
Government
Subdivisions
Provinces of Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl 조선민주주의인민공화국의 도
Hancha 朝鮮民主主義人民共和國의 道
Transcriptions
Revised Romanization Joseonminjujuuiinmingonghwagugui do
McCune–Reischauer Chosŏnminjujuŭiinmin'gonghwagugŭi to

Provinces are the first-level division within North Korea. There are nine provinces in North Korea: Chagang, North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, North Hwanghae, South Hwanghae, Kangwon, North Pyongan, South Pyongan, and Ryanggang. [1] [ full citation needed ]

Contents

History

Although the details of local administration have changed dramatically over time, the basic outline of the current three-tiered system was implemented under the reign of Gojong in 1895. A similar system also remains in use in South Korea.

A province (Korean : ; Hancha : ) are the highest-ranked administrative divisions in North Korea. Provinces have equal status to the special cities.

List of provinces

The populations listed for each province are from the 2008 North Korea Census. From this census, there are an additional 702,372 people living in military camps.

Name Chosŏn'gŭl Hancha ISO PopulationArea
(km2)
Density
(/km2)
Capital Region
Chagang 자강도慈江道KP-041,299,83016,76577.5 Kanggye Kwanso
North Hamgyong 함경북도咸鏡北道KP-092,327,36215,980145.6 Chongjin Kwanbuk
South Hamgyong 함경남도咸鏡南道KP-083,066,01318,534165.4 Hamhung Kwannam
North Hwanghae 황해북도黃海北道KP-062,113,6728,153.7259.2 Sariwon Haeso
South Hwanghae 황해남도黃海南道KP-052,310,4858,450.3273.4 Haeju Haeso
Kangwon 강원도江原道KP-071,477,58211,091133.2 Wonsan Kwandong
North Pyongan 평안북도平安北道KP-032,728,66212,680.3215.2 Sinuiju Kwanso
South Pyongan 평안남도平安南道KP-024,051,69611,890.6340.7 Pyongsong Kwanso
Ryanggang 량강도兩江道KP-10719,26913,88051.8 Hyesan Kwannam

Claimed provinces

North Korea claims seven provinces on the territory controlled by South Korea. While people's committees for these claimed provinces were elected in 1950 during the Korean War, no government-in-exile for them exists as of 2024. These provinces are based on the divisions of the Japanese era, but correspond somewhat to the present South Korean provinces and the special cities partitioned out of them, owing to the alterations in the provincial division effected by South Korea being more conservative relatively to those effected by the north.

Historical provinceName Chosŏn'gŭl Hancha CapitalEquivalent South Korean provinces
Ch'ungch'ŏng North Ch'ungch'ŏng 충청북도忠淸北道 Ch'ŏngju North Chungcheong Province
Sejong Special Self-Governing City (part)
Ch'ungch'ŏng South Ch'ungch'ŏng 충청남도忠淸南道 Taejŏn South Chungcheong Province
Daejeon Metropolitan City
Sejong Special Self-Governing City (part)
Kyŏnggi Kyŏnggi 경기도京畿道 Sŏul Gyeonggi Province (except parts of Pocheon and Yeoncheon County)
Seoul Special City
Incheon Metropolitan City
Kyŏngsang North Kyŏngsang 경상북도慶尙北道 Taegu North Gyeongsang (except Uljin County)
Daegu Metropolitan City
Kyŏngsang South Kyŏngsang 경상남도慶尙南道 Pusan South Gyeongsang Province
Busan Metropolitan City
Ulsan Metropolitan City
Chŏlla North Chŏlla 전라북도全羅北道 Chŏnju North Jeolla Province
Chŏlla South Chŏlla 전라남도全羅南道 Kwangju South Jeolla Province
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
Gwangju Metropolitan City

See also

Related Research Articles

Korea has had administrative districts that can be considered provinces since the 7th century. These divisions were initially called ju in Unified Silla and Later Baekje, and there were nine in total. After Goryeo conquered these states in the 10th century, twelve divisions called mok were established, although they were reorganized into ten do in the 11th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kangwon Province, North Korea</span> Province of North Korea

Kangwon Province is a province of North Korea, with its capital at Wŏnsan. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Kangwŏn Province and its South Korean neighbour Gangwon Province formed a single province that excluded Wŏnsan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Pyongan Province</span> Province of North Korea

North Pyongan Province is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its capital is Sinŭiju. In 2002, Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region—near the city of Sinuiju—was established as a separately governed Special Administrative Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Pyongan Province</span> Province of North Korea

South Pyongan Province is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Pyongan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its capital is Pyongsong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Hamgyong Province</span> Province of North Korea

South Hamgyong Province is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyong Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its capital is Hamhung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryanggang Province</span> Province of North Korea

Ryanggang Province is a province in North Korea. The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, North Hamgyong to the east, South Hamgyong to the south, and Chagang to the west. Ryanggang was formed in 1954, when it was separated from South Hamgyŏng. The provincial capital is Hyesan. In South Korean usage, "Ryanggang" is spelled and pronounced as "Yanggang" Korean: 양강도; RR: Yanggang-do, Korean pronunciation:[jaŋ.ɡaŋ.do]).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamgyong Province</span> Historical province of Korea

Hamgyong Province was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyong was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chagang Province</span> Province of North Korea

Chagang Province is a province of North Korea; it is bordered by China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South Pyongan to the south, and North Pyongan to the west. Chagang was formed in 1949, after being demarcated from North Pyongan. The provincial capital is Kanggye. Before 2019, Chagang was the only province of North Korea completely inaccessible to tourists, possibly due to weapons factories and nuclear weapon facilities located there. In 2019 the city of Manpo became accessible to tourists. In May 2018, the province became a "Special Songun Revolutionary Zone" in relations to concealing the nuclear weapon and weapon's factories within the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean dialects</span>

A number of Korean dialects are spoken on the Korean Peninsula. The peninsula is very mountainous and each dialect's "territory" corresponds closely to the natural boundaries between different geographical regions of Korea. Most of the dialects are named for one of the traditional Eight Provinces of Korea. Two are sufficiently distinct from the others to be considered separate languages, the Jeju and the Yukjin languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwanbuk</span> Historical region now in North Korea

Kwanbuk, or Gwanbuk (Korean: 관북), is a region of Korea now comprising the northeast provinces of Ryanggang, North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, and the Rajin-Sonbong Special Economic Zone. It borders the Kwansŏ region to the west and the Kwandong region to the east, and faces the Sea of Japan to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwansŏ</span> Historical region now in North Korea

Kwansŏ (Korean: 관서), or Gwanseo, is a region of Korea. It lies in the northwest of the Korean Peninsula, occupied by the North Korean provinces of North Pyongan, South Pyongan, and Chagang, as well as the cities of Pyongyang and Nampo.

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Korean regional cuisines are characterized by local specialties and distinctive styles within Korean cuisine. The divisions reflected historical boundaries of the provinces where these food and culinary traditions were preserved until modern times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 North Korean floods</span> Natural disaster in North Korea

The 2012 North Korean floods began in mid-July 2012 when Tropical Storm Khanun affected parts of the country, killing at least 88 people and leaving more than 62,000 people homeless. Torrential rains on 29 and 30 July 2012 worsened the situation, causing additional damage and casualties and forcing the government to request international assistance. Severe rainfall also affected the southern region of North Korea in August, killing at least six.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces</span> South Korean government body

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kōgen Prefecture</span> 1910–1945 province of Korea under Japan

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Kim Yol was a North Korean politician who served in various state and party positions in North Korea's early years.

References

  1. [Provinces are the first-level division within North Korea. There are 9 provinces in North Korea: Chagang, North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, North Hwanghae, South Hwanghae, Kangwon, North Pyongan, South Pyongan, and Ryanggang. "North Korea: Administrative Division"]. City Population. Retrieved 11 November 2024.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)