Pyongsan County

Etymology

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, the county was called Heizan () and was a part of the now-defunct Kokai Province.

Administrative divisions

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

History

Pyongsan County was called Pyeongju () during the Goryeo period. 4 warlords were from Pyeongju during the Later Three Kingdoms period. Yu Geumpil, who greatly contributed to the unification of the Later Three Kingdoms, was from Pyeongju. Wang Geon married 3 women from Pyeongju.

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. The plant was declared to the international community in 1992. Estimates place the plant's annual uranium production capacity at 300 tons.

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. The leaks were independently verified by 38 North. 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.

Nuclear Waste Dump

In 2013 the North Korean Central Government and Taipower began negotiations about shipping nuclear waste to P‘yŏngsan. 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". According to Huang Tien-huang, a Taipower official, North Korea blocked Taipower from viewing the processing site at P‘yŏngsan. 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.

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

• Jo Young-nam, South Korean singer
• Nelson Shin, animator, director and producer
• Syngman Rhee, the first president of South Korea

References

References

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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.
11. Gabriel Domínguez. (13 August 2015). "North Korea 'expanding uranium capacity,' says expert". DW.com.
12. Jacob Bogle. (3 August 2019). "Radioactive River". Jacob Bogle.
13. Cho Yi-jun, Yang Seung-sik. (19 August 2019). "Waste from N.Korean Uranium Factories 'Could Seep into Sea'". Chosun Ilbo.
14. (27 August 2015). "North Korea's Pyongsan Uranium Mill: Operations Produce Environmental Damage While Extracting Uranium for its Nuclear Program". 38 North.
15. (28 August 2015). "Gov't analyzing seawater amid reports of possible radioactive waste leak from N.K.". Yonhap.
16. Rank, Michael. (March 15, 2013). "North Korean-Taiwan nuclear waste deal thwarted over export permit". NK Economy Watch.
17. (3 March 2013). "North Korea to sue Taiwan Power over failed nuclear waste agreement .". Formosa English News.