Hoeryong
Encyclopedia
Hoeryŏng is a city in North Hamgyŏng Province, North Korea
. It is opposite Jilin
Province, China
, with the Tumen River
in between. Sanhe (三合鎮), in Longjing
prefecture, is the closest Chinese town across the river. Hoeryŏng is said to be the birthplace of Kim Il Sung's first wife and Kim Jong Il's mother, Kim Jong Suk.
The Hoeryong concentration camp
is located some 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from the city.
: 육진, Hanja
: 六鎭) established under the order of Sejong the Great of Joseon
(1418 - 1450) to safeguard his people from the potentially hostile semi-nomadic Jurchens
living north of the Yalu river.
In early May 2007, the newly appointed Prime Minister Kim Yong-il
visited Hoeryong. At the time, the Prime Minister brought with him on his train, one carriage worth of glass (made in South Korea) and 3 carriages worth of cement. After delivering the goods to the People’s Committee of Hoeryong he ordered that the city of Hoeryong be decorated and adorned as much as a city where Mother Kim Jong Suk’s birthplace should be.
Later that month, there was a public protest in Hoeryong, the first in recent history anywhere in North Korea. A guard named Ahn Myong Chol was forced to leave the concentration camp, for the safety of his family, when someone caught him giving food to one of the prisoners in the concentration camp.
On the 22nd of June 2007, a source reported that a public trial was held at a City Stadium in Hoeryong, on the 30th last month against 15 human traffic suspects and 4 of them were sentenced to death following a period of starvation; with others reported to have defected to the South.
.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. It is opposite Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
Province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, with the Tumen River
Tumen River
The Tumen River is a 521 km-long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea, and Russia, rising in Mount Baekdu and flowing into the Sea of Japan....
in between. Sanhe (三合鎮), in Longjing
Longjing (city)
Longjing is a city in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, southeastern Jilin province, Northeast China. It lies on the Tumen River opposite the North Korean city Hoeryong....
prefecture, is the closest Chinese town across the river. Hoeryŏng is said to be the birthplace of Kim Il Sung's first wife and Kim Jong Il's mother, Kim Jong Suk.
The Hoeryong concentration camp
Hoeryong concentration camp
Camp 22 is a North Korean prison for political prisoners and their relatives. The camp is the largest concentration camp in North Korea and is thought to hold 50,000 prisoners.-History:According to Ahn Myong Chol, a guard at the camp between 1987 and 1994, Camp 22 was established in 1959...
is located some 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from the city.
History
Hoeryong was one of the six post/garrisons (HangulHangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 육진, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 六鎭) established under the order of Sejong the Great of Joseon
Sejong the Great of Joseon
Sejong the Great was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. During his regency, he reinforced Korean Confucian policies and executed major legal amendments . He also used the creation of Hangul and the advancement of technology to expand his territory...
(1418 - 1450) to safeguard his people from the potentially hostile semi-nomadic Jurchens
Jurchens
The Jurchens were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
living north of the Yalu river.
In early May 2007, the newly appointed Prime Minister Kim Yong-il
Kim Yong-il
Kim Yong-il was the Premier of North Korea from April, 2007 to June 7, 2010. He was elected as Premier by the 5th session of the 11th Supreme People's Assembly in April 2007, replacing Pak Pong-ju...
visited Hoeryong. At the time, the Prime Minister brought with him on his train, one carriage worth of glass (made in South Korea) and 3 carriages worth of cement. After delivering the goods to the People’s Committee of Hoeryong he ordered that the city of Hoeryong be decorated and adorned as much as a city where Mother Kim Jong Suk’s birthplace should be.
Later that month, there was a public protest in Hoeryong, the first in recent history anywhere in North Korea. A guard named Ahn Myong Chol was forced to leave the concentration camp, for the safety of his family, when someone caught him giving food to one of the prisoners in the concentration camp.
On the 22nd of June 2007, a source reported that a public trial was held at a City Stadium in Hoeryong, on the 30th last month against 15 human traffic suspects and 4 of them were sentenced to death following a period of starvation; with others reported to have defected to the South.
Economy
Hoeryong's main industries are mining machines and a paper mill. The area contains many minesMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
.
