Hyesan is a city in the northern part of Ryanggang province of North Korea. It is a hub of river transportation as well as a product distribution centre. It is also the administrative centre of Ryanggang Province. As of 2008, the population of the city is 192,680.
Area
Around 1940s, this city corresponded nearby Paektu Mountains. However, due to the several changes, the area of this city was reduced, and now it only corresponds nearby Yalu River. Due to the reunification matter with South Korea, this city is claimed by South Korea, with the area of 1940s, not the one edited by North Korea. Therefore, this city in South Korea still corresponds nearby Baekdu Mountains. With this problem, South Korea has a conflict with the People's Republic of China because of Baekdu Mountains. The mountain is actually divided in two: the south parts are ruled by North Korea while the north parts are ruled by the PRC. However, South Korea still claims the northern parts. It is not officially claimed, but from maps printed by South Korea, it is de facto claimed. In addition, the Republic of China claims the entire mountain.
Hyesan has an elevation-influenced humid continental climate. It is located in the coldest area of Korea, which holds a record low temperature of -42 °C in 1915.
Administrative divisions
Hyesan City is divided into 25 tong and 4 ri :
Economy
Hyesan has lumber processing mills, paper mills and textile mills. Since the North Korean economic crisis that intensified in the mid-1990s the city has suffered from economic stagnation and some factories in the city are closed. Reports and pictures taken from the Chinese side of the river show a "Ghost City": there is almost no movement in the streets, and at night the city is dark and doesn't have electricity. Residents of the city reputedly wash their clothes in the river because homes have no running water. First explored in the 1960s, Hyesan Mine produces 10,000 tons of copper concentrates annually. This area has 80% of North Korea's available copper, and the North had estimated that it will be able to continue mining copper there for the next forty years. When Kapsan Tongjum Mine, explored during the Japanese colonial period, was finally depleted and closed in 1990, Hyesan Mine became the lifeline of the nation’s copper production. At that time, the mine flooded because the pumping device stopped operating due to the lack of electricity across the country. Although the workers at the mine did their best to pump the water, they could not stop the water flowing into the mine at a speed of 480㎥/hour. In 1996, during the North's 'Arduous March', electricity was not provided to the mine, leading to flooding in the mineshafts in January 1997. Hyesan Mine flooded again, as did other mines throughout the country, and lost all mining facilities. Since 1998, Kim Jong Il budgeted 8.2 million USD to dewater the mine, and the mine was recovered using electricity and equipment provided by China.
