Unsan County, South Pyongan

Ŭnsan County is a kun (county) in South P'yŏngan province, North Korea.[1]

Ŭnsan County
은산군
Korean transcription(s)
 • Chosŏn'gŭl은산군
 • Hancha
 • McCune-ReischauerŬnsan-gun
 • Revised RomanizationEunsan-gun
Map of South Pyongan showing the location of Unsan
Map of South Pyongan showing the location of Unsan
CountryNorth Korea
ProvinceSouth P'yŏngan
Administrative divisions1 ŭp, 5 workers' districts, 16 ri

Name

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The name Unsan is proposed to have been derived from either the Chinese character 银 or 隐, both read as "un" in Korean, referring to the possibility of silver being mined in a mine located in Sinchang, or 'hidden', as the area is surrounded by mountains, such as Hwasan. However, in historical records, only the word 殷 has been recorded as a name.[2]

History

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Hungdok-gun, the predecessor to the current administrative division, was formed in the early Goguryeo period from Sunchon-gun. This later became Unju in 983 and subsequently Unsan-hyon in 1278. In 1414, after the establishment of the Joseon, it was briefly absorbed into Chasan-gun, then reestablished in 1415. In 1895, the myon was reorganised into a gun and subsequently was changed into a hyon in 1896. It was again absorbed into Sunchon-gun in 1907 and reestablished in 1952.[2]

In 1954, the original Unsan-up and Suwon-ri were merged and renamed to Sinchang-ri, while parts of Jinsan-ri and Sonam-ri became the new Unsan-up.[2]

In 1974, several dongs were promoted to rodongjagu amongst a large scale reorganisation of districts, with some districts joining Sunchon.[2]

In 1994, Sinpyong-ri was transferred to Pukchang County.[2]

By the 1990s, Kubong-rodongjagu had been developed into a large mining town, with over 4600 residences and various services, such as hospitals, culture halls and schools.[3]

Administrative divisions

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Ŭnsan county is divided into 1 ŭp (town), 5 rodongjagu (workers' districts) and 16 ri (villages):

  • Ŭnsan-ŭp (은산읍)
  • Chaedong-rodongjagu (재동로동자구)
  • Ch'ŏnsŏng-rodongjagu (천성로동자구)
  • Haksal-lodongjagu (학산로동자구)
  • Kubong-rodongjagu (구봉로동자구)
  • Sŏngsal-lodongjagu (성산로동자구)
  • Chehyŏl-li (제현리)
  • Mang'il-li (망일리)
  • Mirjŏl-li (밀전리)
  • Nam'ong-ri (남옥리)
  • Namwŏl-li (남원리)
  • Sinch'ang-ri (신창리)
  • Sudŏng-ri (수덕리)
  • Sunghwa-ri (숭화리)
  • Suwŏl-li (수원리)
  • Suyang-ri (수양리)
  • Taeyang-ri (대양리)
  • Tongsam-ri (동삼리)
  • Yonghwa-ri (용화리)
  • Yŏnham-ri (연합리)
  • Yudong-ri (유동리)
  • Yujŏng-ri (유정리)

Transportation

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Ŭnsan County is served by the P'yŏngra and Ŭnsan lines of the Korean State Railway.

A trolleybuses existed in Kubong-rodongjagu, serving the Ryongdae Mine. This line had a stated length of 10-ri with 4 stops, connecting the workers' district to the entrance 2nd pit of Ryongdae Mine. Services run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Road map of Korea, North and South, published December 2010 by Freytag and Berndt, Vienna, Austria, ISBN 978-3-7079-0974-6
  2. ^ a b c d e "북한지역정보넷". www.cybernk.net. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  3. ^ a b Korean Central News Agency (12 June 1993). "무궤도전차와 통근려객렬차가 달린다". Minju Choson (in Korean)