Kanggye


Kanggye is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 251,971. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty.

History

During the Korean War, after being driven from Pyongyang, Kim Il Sung and his government temporarily moved the capital to Kanggye after first moving temporarily to Sinuiju.

Geography

Kanggye is located at the merging point of four rivers, including the Changja River.

Climate

Kanggye has a humid continental climate.

Administrative divisions

Kanggye is divided into 34 tong and two ri :

Transportation

Kanggye is a transportation hub, connected to other cities by road, rail and air. It lies at the junction of the Kanggye and Manp'o Lines. In addition, highways connect it to Pyongyang and other locations. The city is located near a military and civilian dual-purpose air station.

Culture

, Kanggye University of Technology, and the Kanggye University of Medicine are located in the city.
Places of tourist interest include Inphung Pavilion and Mount Ryonhwa.

Industry

From 1945, the manufacturing industry developed rapidly.
Kanggye has a mining industry producing copper, zinc ore, coal and graphite.
Kanggye hosts one of the main timber processing factories of Chagang province and North Korea.

Kanggye Timber Processing Factory

Kanggye Timber Processing Factory is a small state-run factory located in Kanggye City. At the start of operations, it produced only two kinds of furniture through manual labour. Over time it has developed into a comprehensive modernized furniture producer, producing woodwork with a hundred and dozens of modern facilities in production.
Amongst machinery in use are three- and four-faced automatic planes, all-purpose polishers, joining machines, and grooving saws.
Meanwhile, the factory has directed an effort into the programme of modernizing the drying job, which is an important part of the woodworking process. By making technical innovations the factory increased production and lowered manpower.

No.26 General Plant

The No.26 factory is the largest underground military facility in Korea. The plant manufactures ammunition which has been exported to Libya, Syria, Iran, Iraq and Egypt. It employs more than 20,000 workers and can produce 126,000 mortar rounds and 1.76 million rounds of rifle ammunition per year. On November 30 1991, up to a thousand people were killed after a massive explosion at the plant. Other sources put the number of fatalities at six times that amount or more based on the claims of survivors of the incident.