Hyesan

Hyesan

Hyesan is a city in the northern part of Ryanggang province of North Korea. It is an important place for river transportation and for moving products around the area. Hyesan is also the administrative center of Ryanggang Province, where many important decisions for the province are made. As of 2008, about 192,680 people lived there.

Area

In the 1940s, Hyesan included the Paektu Mountains. Later, the city's area was reduced to just the nearby Yalu River.

Because of the split between North and South Korea, Hyesan is also considered part of South Korea based on the 1940s borders. This causes a disagreement between South Korea and the People's Republic of China over the Paektu Mountains. The mountains are now partly in North Korea and partly in China. South Korea still shows the northern parts of the mountains on its maps, even though China controls them.

History

Hyesan started as a small village in ancient kingdoms like Goguryeo and Balhae. Later, it was taken by tribes from the Jurchen (also known as Manchu) people. Leaders of Goryeo and Joseon made it a strong military town in the 1400s.

During the Korean War, soldiers from the United States came close to the border with China near Hyesan in 1950. Today, Hyesan is important for trade between North Korea and China. Special rules were made to control movement across the border during the Covid-19 situation.

Geography

The city of Hyesan is located south of the Paektu Mountains, near the border with the People's Republic of China. It is separated from China by the Yalu (Amrok) River, with Changbai being the closest city across the river.

Hyesan has a humid continental climate. It is one of the coldest places in Korea and once recorded a very low temperature of −42 °C or −43.6 °F in 1915.

Administrative divisions

Hyesan City has 25 tong (neighbourhoods) and 4 ri (villages).

Economy

Hyesan has factories for processing wood, making paper, and producing textiles. Since the 1990s, the city has had tough economic times, and some factories have shut down. Photos and reports from the nearby Chinese side of the river describe Hyesan as almost empty, with quiet streets and dark nights because there is little electricity. People in the city are said to wash their clothes in the river since many homes lack running water.

The Hyesan mine was first found in the 1960s and makes about 10,000 tons of copper each year. This area holds most of North Korea’s copper, enough for mining for many years to come. After another mine, Kapsan Tongjum Mine, ran out of ore and closed in 1990, Hyesan Mine became important for the country’s copper. However, lack of power caused flooding in the mine. During a hard time for North Korea in the mid-1990s, the mine flooded again. Efforts to fix it began in 1998, with help from China, and the mine was brought back into use.

Transportation

Hyesan is connected to other cities in North Korea by roads and railway lines. These include the Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn and Pukbunaeryuk lines of the Korean State Railway.

The city also has a trolleybus system, but we do not know its current status.

Education

Hyesan has schools like Hyesan High School and Hyesan Girls' School. For higher learning, there are places such as Hyesan Medical University, Hyesan University of Agriculture and Forestry, Kim Jŏng-suk College of Education, Hyesan College of Light Engineering, and Hyesan University of Industry.

Nearby, the countryside has interesting spots like the Kwaegung Pavilion, Naegŏk Hot Spring, and Mount Paektu.

Notable people

Hyesan is known for two people who left North Korea and became activists. Yeonmi Park was born in 1993 and left North Korea in 2007. Lee Hyeon-seo was born in 1980 and left North Korea in 1997. Both share their stories to help others learn about life in North Korea.

Yeonmi Park

Lee Hyeon-seo