Cheongjin

The name literally translates as "net crossing." Since the city was founded during the period of Japanese colonial rule, the Japanese reading of these characters - "Seishin" was originally generally used, and only after the liberation of Korea in 1945 the name of the city began to be pronounced in the Korean manner - "Cheongjin". At the same time, due to the absence of well-established and generally accepted rules for transliterating Korean names in Cyrillic, Russian-language sources also contain spelling variations for “Chonjin” and “Chondin,” the latter in terms of pronunciation typical for koremar . The latter is most often used in official correspondence and document circulation in the Russian Foreign Ministry system.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, a small fishing settlement was located on the site of Chongjin at the foot of Mount Puryon. In 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese command assessed the favorable geographical position of the area and decided to create a logistics point for its ground army, which was operating against the Russian troops in Manchuria. The population of the village at that time totaled 100 families. In 1905, with the aim of improving the supply of ground forces, the Japanese began the construction of a 90-kilometer railway to Hweren , which was completed in 1906, after the signing of the Portsmouth Peace . In 1907, a 17-kilometer section of the railway to Ranama was built , where the Japanese garrison was stationed.

In 1913, the Japanese colonial administration decided to allocate part of the territory of Puryeon County, creating the Seishin (Cheongjin) region, which received the status of a city during the administrative reform of 1914 .

After the end of hostilities, the port did not lose its strategic importance. Japan, annexing Korea, began to actively exploit the natural resources of the peninsula, and the deployment of a powerful army group on the mainland required the creation and maintenance of reliable supply lines with the metropolis. These factors made it necessary to create a powerful transport hub in the city. In 1908, the port was also opened for foreign trade, reconstruction of the mooring complex, construction of loading and unloading mechanisms and the necessary hydraulic structures began. In 1928, the Wonsan -Chongjin railway line was completed, linking the port with the Korean railway network, and in 1933 a branch was laid to Changchun , which made Chongjin a strategically important transportation hub.

In the 1930s, the exploitation of the Musan iron ore deposit was launched, which served as a powerful impetus to the industrial development of Chkhojin: three large metallurgical plants were built, which became the basis of Korean ferrous metallurgy. In 1940, with technical cooperation with the Krupp company, modernization of equipment was carried out at metallurgical enterprises, which allowed to significantly increase pig iron smelting ^[3] . In parallel, the development of other industries was under way: an artificial silk factory, an oil mill, a fish processing plant and a cannery were built.

In 1943, the Cheongjin village from Puryon County was included in the Cheongjin, and the Yongson village and the Ranam city, where the provincial administration of Hamgyon-Pucto and the headquarters of the 18th Infantry Division of the Japanese Army were located, from Gyeongsong County. As a result, Cheongjin has become Korea’s fourth largest city. In 1945, it was again divided into Ranam and Chongjin ^[4] .

During the Soviet-Japanese war in August 1945 in Chkhozhin (then called Seishin or Seishin ,. 津 津 ), Soviet troops landed a sea ​​landing , which fought for control over the city for more than three days. On August 16, 1945, with the approach of the 393rd and 335th rifle divisions, Japanese troops were finally forced out of the city. ^[five]

On August 16, 1945, after three days of fighting, the garrison of the city capitulated to units of the Soviet Army. On August 19, 1945, the headquarters of the South Pacific Defense Fleet was stationed in Cheongjin. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of the DPRK in December 1948, the Government of the USSR, at the request of the North Korean leadership, decided to create a naval base in Chongjin due to the lack of a full-fledged fleet. In total, 65 ships were based in the city, including torpedo boats, anti-submarine ships and other vessels. When during the Korean War there was a threat of seizure by the UN troops of the territory of the DPRK, the Soviet government on October 7, 1950 began the evacuation of ships and naval personnel in the Cheongjin to the USSR. ^[6]

On October 25, 1950, the city was taken by UN troops, who were there until December, after which they were forced to leave Chongjin during a counter-offensive by the KPA and Chinese people's volunteers . In the later stages of the war, Cheongjin, being a strategically important industrial center, was repeatedly subjected to massive bombardment by UN troops. The city was also one of the priority goals for the US Navy Seventh Fleet , which supported ground forces of allies from the sea, which repeatedly attacked industrial infrastructure. One of the most destructive bombings was undertaken on May 25, 1952, the main forces of the fleet, led by the flagship battleship Iowa , which, according to the US military, managed to cause serious damage to the city industry, took part in it ^[7] .

Cheongjin, like many other cities in the DPRK, was badly damaged during the Korean War. Industry was almost completely destroyed, serious urban infrastructure was damaged, and the population was almost halved. In accordance with the decision of the TPK on the predominant development of heavy industry, the main attention of the government and local authorities was focused on the restoration of the destroyed industry and especially the Metallurgical Plant named after Kim Chak, who was the only producer of cast iron and coke in the country. By 1958, with the financial and technical assistance of the USSR, it was possible to completely restore the coke oven batteries and blast furnaces of the plant that were damaged during the bombing. China has helped to restore the locomotive depot. The CMEA countries also assisted in the post-war reconstruction of the city; for example, specialists from Romania and Czechoslovakia helped rebuild a pharmaceutical factory and provincial hospital ^[8] .

Poland sent its urban planners to take part in the development of the master plan for reconstruction. In particular, Polish experts proposed reuniting Cheongjin and Ranam, as well as erecting hydrotechnical protective structures in the lowlands of the city (part of the quarters of the Pohang and Sinam districts) that would prevent them from flooding during floods. However, North Korean engineers did not agree with this proposal, citing a serious shortage of building materials and labor amid massive restoration work. As a result, a temporary compromise was made: not to build multi-apartment buildings in an area prone to flooding, leaving them under the private sector, which is located there now ^[9]

In October 1960, Gyeongsong County and the city of Ranam were incorporated into the city, and Cheongjin was isolated from the province of Hamgyung-Pucto, becoming a city ​​of central subordination . In October 1967, it again became the administrative center of Hamgyun-Pucto. In 1977, Cheongjin, which also included Musan County, was returned to the status of a city of central subordination, but in 1985 the districts of Puryon, Gyeongsong and Musan were separated from Cheongjin, and the city itself again became part of the province of Hamgyon-Pucto, whose capital he remains to this day ^[10] .

In 1985, the population was 500 thousand people, the city was an important industrial center: there were enterprises of ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering, textile, chemical and food industries ^[2] .

Cheongjin is divided into 7 districts ( 구역 ), which include 82 city blocks ( 동 ), 16 villages ( 리 ) and one working village ( 로동자 구 )

Cheongjin areas

• Sinam ( 신암 구역 )
• Pohang ( 포항 구역 )
• Cheonam ( 청암 구역 )
• Sunam ( 수남 구역 )
• Songpyeong ( 송평 구역 )
• Ranam ( 라남 구역 )
• Puyun ( 부윤 구역 )

• The average annual temperature is 8.4 ° C
• Relative humidity - 69.5%
• Average wind speed - 1.2 m / s

Non-freezing seaport and an important transport hub ^[2] .

There is a tram line. A trolleybus system also consists of two unconnected lines ^[12] .

Consulates

Foreign consular offices located in Cheongjin:

• Consulate General
  1.   Russia ^[13] (since 1980)
  2.   China (since 1987)

Twin Cities

1.   Khabarovsk , Russia ^[14] - from November 1, 2011