Hochon County 虛川郡
County
Korean transcription(s)
? Hanja	虛川郡
?  McCune-Reischauer	H?ch'?n kun
?  Revised Romanization	Heocheon-gun
Map of South Hamgyong showing the location of Hochon
Coordinates: 40°40′43.25″N 128°36′23.11″E  /  40.6786806°N 128.6064194°E  / 40.6786806; 128.6064194
Country	North Korea
Province	South Hamgyong Province
Administrative divisions	1 ?p , 5 workers' districts, 17 ri
Area
? Total	1,684 km 2 (650 sq mi)
Population   (2008 [1] )
? Total	104,731
? Density	62/km 2 (160/sq mi)

H?ch'?n County is a county in South Hamgy?ng province, North Korea . It was created after the division of Korea , from portions of Tanchon and P'ungsan (now Kimhyonggwon County ).

Geography [ edit ]

Most of the county is steep and mountainous, particularly in the southeast. There are numerous high peaks. The Hamgyong Mountains and Geomdok Mountains ( Korean : 劍德山맥 ) pass through the county with the highest peak at Mount Geomdok.

The chief stream is the Namdaecheon ( Korean : 南大川 ). Approximately 90% of the county is forestland .

Administrative divisions [ edit ]

H?ch'?n county is divided into 1 ?p (town), 5 rodongjagu (workers' districts) and 17 ri (villages):

Economy [ edit ]

Mining and electrical power are the chief local industries. There are deposits of copper, iron ore, lead, and zinc . Local crops include maize, soybeans, and potatoes, but cultivation is difficult due to the mountainous terrain.

Sangnong mine is located in this county, to the west of Sangnong-rodongjagu. ^[2]

Transportation [ edit ]

H?ch'?n county is served by the H?ch'?n and Mand?k lines of the Korean State Railway , and by various roads.

Near Sangnong-rodongjagu, there is a trolleybus line to Sangnong mine served by one vehicle, though there were two vehicles in 2002. However, in more recent satellite imagery from 2020, the only trolleybus visible has disappeared. ^[3]

Military [ edit ]

The Sangnam-ri Ballistic Missile Base is located in the county. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies , the existence of the base first came to public light in 1999, although construction began ca. 1994. Primary construction of barracks, underground facilities, bunkers, and other support structures was completed by the mid-2000s. Sangnam-ri is a battalion- or regiment-sized unit that encompasses approximately 3.85 sq. km of mountainous territory. It is operated by the Korean People's Army Strategic Force and is equipped with Hwasong-10 (Musudan) intermediate-range ballistic missiles . ^[4]

See also [ edit ]

• Geography of North Korea
• Administrative divisions of North Korea
• South Hamgyong

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• In Korean language online encyclopedias:
  • Doosan Encyclopedia (Naver)
  • Korean language Britannica (Empas) ( Map )
  • Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (Empas)
  • Pascal World Encyclopedia (Nate)