Kyŏngsŏng is a kun, or county, on the central coast of North Hamgyong, North Korea

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...

. The administrative center is located in Kyŏngsŏng-ŭp.

Physical features

To the west and southwest, Kyŏngsŏng is flanked by mountains, while to the east it borders Kyŏngsŏng Bay in the Sea of Japan

Sea of Japan

The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...

 (East Sea of Korea)

Sea of Japan naming dispute

The international name for the body of water which is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia, and South Korea is disputed. The Japanese government supports the use of the name "Sea of Japan", while South Korea supports the name "East Sea", and North Korea supports the name "East Sea of Korea"...

. In the coastal area a number of small plains are found, including Kyŏngsŏng Plain. Numerous small streams flow into the Sea of Japan, including the Kwangmoch'ŏn, Segolch'ŏn, Pokkokch'ŏn, and Och'onch'ŏn.

There are also numerous hot springs in the area. 80% of the county is composed of mountain forests, of which 58.9% is evergreen and 39.9% is deciduous.

Due to its location on the Sea of Japan, Kyŏngsŏng's climate is generally mild, but the region is prone to fog. The annual average temperature is 6.6 °C (43.9 °F), -8.2 C in January and 21.1 °C (70 °F) in August. The average annual rainfall is 648 mm (25.5 in) along the coast, but 800 mm (31.5 in) in the west.

Agriculture and fishery

Rice farming is carried out in the eastern region of Kyŏngsŏng. In the orchards, pears are the predominant crop. Small-scale fishing is also carried out.

Education

• Kyongsong Industrial College (경성공업대학)
• Kyongsong College of Ceramics (경성도자기단과대학)
• Kyongsong Technical School of Medicine (경성의학전문학교)

Divisions

The county is divided into one town (ŭp), five worker's districts ("rodongjagu"), and 15 villages (ri).

Kyŏngsŏng-up (경성읍/) Saenggiryŏng-rodongjagu (생기령노동자구/) Sŭngam-rodongjagu (승암노동자구/) Ryongch'ŏn-rodongjagu (룡천노동자구/) Pakchung-rodongjagu (박충노동자구/) Haonp'o-rodongjagu (하온포노동자구/) Sangonp'o-ri (상온포리/) Ryongsan-ri (룡산리/) Hamyŏn-ri (하면리/) Hwaha-ri (화하리/) Kwanmo-ri (관모리/)

Taehyang-ri (대향리/) Chungp'yŏng-ri (중평리/) Ryonghyŏn-ri (룡현리/) Ondaejin-ri (온대진리/) Ilhyang-ri (일향리/) Osang-ri (오상리/) Tokyŏn-ri (독연리/) Changpyong-ri (장평리/) Namsŏk-ri (남석리/) Maehyang-ri (매향리/)