Administrative divisions of North Korea
The administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces, two directly-governed cities, and three special administrative divisions. The second-level divisions are cities, counties, wards, and districts. These are further subdivided into third-level entities: towns, neighborhoods, villages, and workers' districts.
The three-level administrative system used in North Korea was first inaugurated by Kim Il Sung in 1952, as part of a massive restructuring of local government. Previously, the country had used a multi-level system similar to that still used in South Korea.
(The English translations are not official, but approximations. Names are romanized according to the McCune-Reischauer system as officially used in North Korea; the editor was also guided by the spellings used on the 2003 National Geographic map of Korea).
First-level divisions
- See Provinces, Special administrative regions, Directly governed cities, and Former directly governed cities below for a complete list.
The nine provinces (Do; ?, ?) derive from the traditional provinces of Korea, but have been further subdivided since the division of Korea. They are large areas including cities, rural and mountainous regions. The two directly governed cities (Chikhalsi; ???, ???) are large metropolitan cities that have been separated from their former provinces to become first-level units. Four other cities have been directly governed in the past, but were subsequently reunited with their provinces or otherwise reorganized.
The three special administrative regions were all created in 2002 for the development of collaborative ventures with South Korea and other countries. One of them, the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region, was intended to draw Chinese investment and enterprise, but as of 2006 appears never to have been implemented. The special administrative regions do not have any known second- and third-level subdivisions.
Second-level divisions
- See List of second-level administrative divisions of North Korea for a complete list.
A map of North Korea with second-level divisions
The most common second-level division is the county (Kun; ?, ?), a less urbanized area within a province or directly governed city. The more populous districts within provinces are cities (Si; ?, ?), and the city of Nampho is a special city (T'ukkupsi; ???, ???). Some provinces also have two types of districts (Ku, Chigu).
The city centers of the directly-governed cities are organized into wards (Kuyok, equivalent to South Korean Gu).
Third-level divisions
Rural parts of cities and counties are organized into villages (Ri, ?, ?). The downtown areas within cities are divided into neighborhoods (Dong, ?, ?), and a populous part of a county forms a town (Up, ?, ?). Some counties also have worker's districts (Rodongjagu).
Provinces
- Sometimes also spelled as "Yanggang" in English.
Special Administrative Regions
Directly-governed cities
- P'yongyang Directly Governed City (P'yongyang Chikhalsi; ?? ???; ?????) - The city is classified as a Directly Governed City (Chikhalsi), not a Special City as Seoul in South Korea. In fact, the North Korean national newspaper and broadcasting say "Pyongyang Chikhalsi". Some sources, most of them come from South Korea, refer the city as a Special City; however these are the old sources. Moreover, South Korea has corrected the city as a Directly Governed City, according to a South Korean newspaper in 1994.
- Rason (Rajin-Sonbong) Directly Governed City (Rason (Rajin-Sonbong) Chikhalsi; ?? (??-??) ???; ?? (??-??) ???)
Former Directly Governed Cities
- Ch'ongjin City (???; ???) used to be a Directly Governed City, but is now part of North Hamgyong Province.
- Hamhung City (???; ???) was a Directly Governed City in the 1960s, but is now part of South Hamgyong Province.
- Kaesong City (???; ???) (distinct from Kaesong Industrial Region) was a Directly Governed City until 2003, but is now part of North Hwanghae Province.
- Namp'o Special City (Namp'o T'ukkupsi; ?? ???; ?????) was a Directly Governed City until 2004, but is now part of South P'yong'an Province.
Sources
The sources for this article are Chosun Ilbo's pages ???? ?? ("Haengjeong Guyeok Hyeonhwang") and ???? ?? ?? ("Haengjeong Guyeok Gaepyeon Ilji") (Korean only; updated 2004).
See also
External links
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