Ryongyon

Infobox Korean name|context=north


caption=Location of Ryongyon within South Hwanghae province.
hangul=룡연군
hanja=linktext|龍|淵|郡
rr=Ryong-yeon gun
mr=Ryong'yŏn kun

Ryongyon is a county in western South Hwanghae province, North Korea. Its Yellow Sea coast is known for its natural beauty and as an important habitat for plants and birds. Ryongyon was the first place in which Protestant Christianity was established in Korea, in the late 19th Century.

Geography

Ryongyon is a coastal county of 463 km², facing the Yellow Sea to the south and northwest. It also borders Changyon county to the northeast, and Taetan county to the east. Its territory includes several islands to the south: Wollaedo ( _ko. 월내도), Ojakdo (오작도), and Yukdo (육도). Ryongyon is separated from the South Korean Baengnyeong Island by a strait12 km wide, and can be clearly seen from South Korean resorts on clear days.cite web
url= http://english.kbs.co.kr/life/travel/spots/1398197_11625.html
title= Baekryong, an Island Overlooking Jangsan Cape in North Korea
accessdate= 2008-07-06
last= Shin
first= Sung-soon
publisher= KBS Global]

The Pult'a Mountains (불타산맥) run through the county from east to west. The western part of the chain projects into the Yellow Sea, forming the Ryongyon Peninsula, with Changsan Cape at its western end (장산곶). The territory is mainly mountainous, with beaches and some lowland to the north and south of the mountains. There are two main inlets or harbors: Monggŭmp'o (몽금포) in the north, and Kumip'o (구미포) in the south.

Two of North Korea's protected natural areas lie along the coastal strip. Changsan Cape contains a Protected Area covering 25.8 km²,cite web
url = http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/site.cfm?siteid=102628&country=PRK
title = Jangsan Cape
publisher = World Database on Protected Areas
accessdate=2008-07-06] and another part of the cape has been established as aplant reserve.cite news
title = Scenic Spots on West Coast of Korea
url = http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2007/200706/news06/14.htm
publisher = Korean Central News Agency
date = June 13, 2007
accessdate = 2008-07-06] On the north side of the peninsula is Monggŭmp'o Sand Dune, a national monument of 0.1 km².cite web
url = http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/site.cfm?siteid=102358&country=PRK
title = Monggumpho Sand Hill
publisher = World Database on Protected Areas
accessdate=2008-07-06]

Administrative Subdivisions

The county is divided into one ŭp and twenty "ri". The administrative center and chief town is Ryongyŏn-ŭp.

History

The first Protestant Christian church in Korea was founded at Sorae ( _ko. 소래),on the southern coast of Ryongyon,cite encyclopedia
last = Ko
first = T'ae-u
encyclopedia = Korean Encyclopedia Britannica
title = 용연군 ("Yongyŏn-kun")
url = http://100.empas.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?s=B&i=174883
accessdate = 2008
accessyear = 07
accessmonth = 12
publisher = Korean Britannica Company] in 1884cite web
title = Major history
url = http://www.pck.or.kr/Eng/History/MajorH.asp
publisher = The Presbyterian Church of Korea
accessdate = 2008-07-06] - before the beginning of foreign missionary activity in Korea. The church was founded by Seo Sang-ryun (서상륜), who had been converted to Christianity while in Manchuria.cite book
title = The guest
last = Hwang
first = Sok-yong
year = 2005
publisher = Seven Stories Press
isbn = 1583226931
pages = 54-56
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=HnRw6KbpLQkC
accessadate = 2008-07-08] The church was visited and supported by English, Scottish, and American Presbyterian missionaries in the following years, including Horace Underwood. A permanent church building was constructed by the local Christians in 1895.cite book
title = Fifteen Years Among the Top-knots: Or, Life in Korea
last = Underwood
first = Lillias Horton
year = 1908
publisher = American Tract Society
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=G6gPAAAAYAAJ
accessdate = 2008-07-08] cite book
last = Underwood
first = Horace G.
title = The Call of Korea
year = 1908
publisher = Fleming H. Revell Co.
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=ZbRGAAAAIAAJ
accessdate = 2008-07-08]

The territory of Ryongyon County lies just above the 38th parallel, and was included in the northern zone during the division of Korea. The nearby Ongjin Peninsula and Baengnyeong Island fell within the southern zone.

During the Korean War, the island Wollaedo was used as a base by pro-Southern partisans. This position was regularly bombarded by Northern artillery on the mainland of Cape Changsan. In 1952, a group of "White Tiger" partisans working together with United States Special Forces landed on the cape. They successfully took control of and destroyed the artillery site, escaping withsmall losses.cite book
title = White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea
last = Malcom
first = Ben S.
publisher = Brassey's
year = 2003
isbn = 1574886053] cite journal
title = Unconventional Warfare in Korea: Forgotten aspect of the 'Forgotten War'
last = Kipler
first = Richard L.
year = 2003
month = August
journal = Special Warfare
publisher = John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
volume = 16
issue = 2
pages = 26-37
url = http://www.soc.mil/swcs/swmag/Archives/03aug.pdf
format = PDF
accessdate = 2008-07-07] It has been reported by a former North Korean army officer that areas of the coast in Ryongyon are still defended by
land mines.cite book
title = Landmine Monitor Report 2007
publisher = International Campaign to Ban Landmines
chapter = Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
chapterurl = http://www.icbl.org/lm/2007/
accessdate = 2008-07-07]

The territory of Ryongyon County was previously part of Changyon County. In 1952, Changyon was split, and the new Ryongyon County was created.

Economy

During the North Korean famine of the 1990s and 2000s, relief agencies have reportednear-starvation conditions in Ryongyon.cite news
title = People Waiting to Starve to Death in Ryongyon county, South Hwanghae Province
url = http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/retrieveattachments?openagent&shortid=MUMA-7FNA6U&file=Full_Report.pdf
format = PDF
work = North Korea Today
publisher = Research Institute for North Korean Society
date = June 16, 2008
accessdate = 2008-07-06] Western aid organizations have supported a Ryongyon Sustainable Food Security Programme to bring about "environmentally friendly community development at a group of four collective farms coveringover 7,000 acres."cite news
title = Anabaptists take the lead on vital North Korea farm programme
url = http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/7124
work = Ekklesia
date = May 11, 2008
accessdate = 2008-07-06]

At an international conference on plans for a proposed Korea-China undersea tunnel, held in Seoul in 2008, Changsan was one of the locations considered for the terminus on the Korean side. Of the four suggested routes, the Ryongyon-Weihai line was the shortest, and the only one entering North rather than South Korea.cite web
title = Korea-China Undersea Tunnel Could Enable Close Partnership of Northeast Asia
url = http://english.gg.go.kr/board/viewToday.jsp?lm=01&seq=743&page=3&method=&query=
publisher = Gyeonggi Province
date = May 30, 2008
accessdate = 2008-07-06]

ee also

* Administrative divisions of North Korea
* Geography of North Korea

Footnotes

References