Pyongsan County

P‘yŏngsan County is a county in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea.

P‘yŏngsan County 평산군
County
Korean transcription(s)
• Hanja	平山郡
• McCune-Reischauer	P‘yŏngsan-kun
• Revised Romanization	Pyongsan-gun
Map of North Hwanghae showing the location of Pyongsan
Country	North Korea
Province	North Hwanghae Province
Area
• Total	538.6 km^2 (208.0 sq mi)
Population  (2008^[1])
• Total	123,646
• Density	230/km^2 (590/sq mi)

Administrative divisions

P'yŏngsan county is divided into 1 ŭp (town), 2 rodongjagu (workers' districts) and 20 ri (villages):

P'yŏngsan-ŭp Ch'ŏnhang-rodongjagu P'yŏnghwa-rodongjagu Chup'yo-ri Ch'ŏngsu-ri Haewŏl-li Hanp'o-ri Kit'al-li Okch'ŏl-li Pongch'ŏl-li Pongt'al-li Pusu-ri

Rimsal-li Ryesŏng-ri Ryonggung-ri Samch'ŏl-li Samryong-ri Sang'am-ri Sansŏng-ri Sansu-ri T'an'gyo-ri Wahyŏl-li Wŏlch'ŏl-li

History

Pyongsan County was called Pyeongju (Korean: 평주; Hanja: 平州) during the Goryeo period.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} 4 warlords were from Pyeongju during the Later Three Kingdoms period.^[7] Yu Geumpil, who greatly contributed to the unification of the Later Three Kingdoms, was from Pyeongju.^[8] Wang Geon married 3 women from Pyeongju.^[9]

Industry

Uranium mine and milling plant

Pyongsan is home to one of two declared uranium milling plants within North Korea. The plant processes coal from a nearby mine to concentrate the uranium found in the coal into yellowcake.^[10] The plant was declared to the international community in 1992.^[10] Estimates place the plant's annual uranium production capacity at 300 tons.^[11]

Reporting by a US-based researcher in August 2019 showed that the plant was leaking waste materials, leading to health concerns over those that live near the plant and fears that the pollution would travel down the Ryesong river to South Korean waters.^[12][13] The leaks were independently verified by 38 North.^[14] On 28 August 2019, the South Korean Ministry of Unification announced that testing of a portion of the Han River along the Northern Limit Line was underway to determine the level of pollution and if any substantial radiation risk existed.^[15]

Nuclear Waste Dump

In 2013 the North Korean Central Government and Taipower began negotiations about shipping nuclear waste to P‘yŏngsan.^[16] The deal was "worth US$75.66 million envisaged shipping 60,000 barrels of nuclear waste, and a further 14,000 barrels in the second stage, with a total value of $150 million and that the North Koreans were after the deal as a source of foreign exchange" but has run into difficulty when Taipower could not get an "export permit for the waste from the Taiwanese Atomic Energy Council".^[16] According to Huang Tien-huang, a Taipower official, North Korea blocked Taipower from viewing the processing site at P‘yŏngsan.^[16] Due to several issues, the final contract was not signed. However, North Korea (through its attorney, Tsai Hui-ling) is suing Taipower for breach of contract.^[16][17]

Transport

P‘yŏngsan county is served by the following stations of the Korean State Railway:

• P‘yŏngsan Station, P'yŏngbu and Ch'ŏngnyŏn Ich'ŏn lines;
• Mulgae Station, P'yŏngbu Line
• Taebaeksansŏng Station, P'yŏngbu Line
• Kyejŏng Station, P'yŏngbu Line

Notable people

• Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea

References

1. North Korea: Administrative Division
2. 이은식 (2014). 필수역사용어해설사전 (in Korean). 타오름. p. 227. ISBN 9788994125855.
3. "평산군(平山郡)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
4. "황해도 평산(평산장)". 문화콘텐츠닷컴 (in Korean). Korea Creative Content Agency. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
5. "서명 : 평산군지(平山郡誌)". 서울대학교 규장각 지리지 종합정보. Seoul National University. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
6. "세종실록 152권, 지리지 황해도 연안 도호부 평산 도호부". 조선왕조실록 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
7. 이한순 (1995). 평산군(平山郡). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
8. 박한설 (1995). 유금필(庾黔弼). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
9. 권순형. 1. 태조의 후비들. 우리역사넷 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
10. Jeffrey Lewis (12 August 2015). "Recent Imagery Suggests Increased Uranium Production in North Korea, Probably for Expanding Nuclear Weapons Stockpile and Reactor Fuel". 38 North. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
11. Gabriel Domínguez (13 August 2015). "North Korea 'expanding uranium capacity,' says expert". DW.com. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
12. Jacob Bogle (3 August 2019). "Radioactive River". Jacob Bogle. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
13. Cho Yi-jun, Yang Seung-sik (19 August 2019). "Waste from N.Korean Uranium Factories 'Could Seep into Sea'". Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
14. "North Korea's Pyongsan Uranium Mill: Operations Produce Environmental Damage While Extracting Uranium for its Nuclear Program". 38 North. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
15. "Gov't analyzing seawater amid reports of possible radioactive waste leak from N.K." Yonhap. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
16. Rank, Michael (March 15, 2013). "North Korean-Taiwan nuclear waste deal thwarted over export permit". NK Economy Watch. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
17. "North Korea to sue Taiwan Power over failed nuclear waste agreement ". Formosa English News. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.