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'Hamhŭng' (''Hamhŭng-si'') is North Korea's second largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyŏng Province. In late 2005, nearby Hŭngnam was made a ward (''kuyŏk'') within Hamhŭng-si.^[1]

Contents

Geography

History

Economy

Transportation

Culture

Food

People born in Hamhŭng

See also

Footnotes

Geography

Hamhŭng is on the left branch of the Sŏngch'ŏn River, on the eastern part of the Hamhŭng plain (함흥평야), in South Hamgyŏng Province, northeast North Korea. The Tonghŭngsan is 319 m high.

History

The city was heavily destroyed (80–90%) during the Korean War. From 1955–1962, Hamhŭng was the object of a large-scale program of reconstruction and development by East Germany including the build-up of various construction-related industries and intense training measures for Korean construction workers, engineers, city planners and architects. The project ended two years earlier than scheduled and with a low profile because of the Sino-Soviet conflict and the opposing positions that North Korea and East Germany took on that issue.^[2]
From 1960 to 1967, Hamhŭng was administered separately from South Hamgyŏng as a Directly Governed City (''Chikhalsi''), but before 1960, and since 1967, the city has been part of South Hamgyŏng Province.
In 1995, Hamhŭng witnessed, thus far, the only documented challenge to the North Korean government when famine-ravaged soldiers began a march toward Pyongyang. The revolt was quelled and the unit of soldiers was disbanded.

Economy

Hamhŭng is an important chemical industry center in the DPRK. It is an industrial city which serves as a major port for North Korean foreign trade. Production includes textiles (particularly vinalon), metalware, machinery, refined oil and processed food.

Transportation

The city is a transportation hub, connecting various eastern ports and the northern interior area.

Culture

It has a national museum and a branch academy of science.
Hamhŭng is home to the Hamhŭng University of Education, Hamhŭng University of Chemistry and Hamhŭng University of Medicine.
Hamhŭng also hosts the biggest theatre in North Korea.

Food

Hamhŭng is famous for its ''naengmyŏn''.

People born in Hamhŭng

★ Yi Seonggye (이성계; 1335–1408), the founder of the Chosŏn dynasty, Korea's last royal line

★ Ahn Soo-kil (안수길; 1911–1977), writer

★ Richard E. Kim (born 1932), writer

★ Yoon Kwang-cho (윤광조; born 1946), ceramic artist

See also

★ List of cities in North Korea

★ Geography of North Korea

★ List of Provinces of Balhae

Footnotes

1. 행정구역 개편 일지
2. For more information on the post-War reconstruction project, see Die DDR und Nordkorea. Der Wiederaufbau der Stadt Hamhŭng von 1954–1962, , Rüdiger, Frank, Shaker, 1996, ISBN 3-8265-5472-8