Sinŭiju (Korean: 신의주시; MR: Sinŭiju-si; IPA:[ɕinɰidzuɕi]), is a city in North Korea which faces Dandong, Liaoning, China, across the international border of the Yalu River. It is the capital of North P'yŏngan province. Part of the city is included in the Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region, which was established in 2002 to experiment with introducing a market economy. In recent years, the city, despite lagging behind the development in the capital Pyongyang, has seen a small construction boom[contradictory] and increasing tourism from China.[2]
Geography
A park near the Sino-Korean Friendship BridgeA large square in the center of Sinŭiju in August 2012, with a statue of Kim Il SungMap of Sinŭiju and Dandong (An-tung)
Developed as a major settlement during the colonial rule at the terminus of a railway bridge across the Amrok River, Sinuiju is located 11 km (7 miles) south by southwest of Ŭiju, the old city from whose name Sinŭiju (meaning “New Ŭiju”) derives. As an open port, it grew commercially with the logging industry which uses the Amnok River to transport lumber. Additionally, a chemical industry developed after the hydroelectric Sup'ung Dam was built further up the river.
In the course of the Korean War, after being driven from P'yŏngyang, Kim Il Sung and his government temporarily moved its capital to Sinŭiju[3][4] - although as UNC forces approached, the government again moved - this time to Kanggye.[4] Also, the city sustained heavy damage from aerial bombardment as part of the United States Air Force's strategic bombing of North Korea; 95 percent of the city was destroyed.[5] However, the city has since been rebuilt.
In 2018, a master plan for the redevelopment of the city was unveiled and shown to Kim Jong Un, which would have featured many high rise buildings and parks, centered around the road leading to the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Ultimately, this plan has yet to be fulfilled, with the only major work completed being the repaving of roads leading to the statues and the red coloured, circular apartment building behind and the Sinuiju Youth Open Air Theatre's completion, although the industrial areas in the city have seen some reconstruction.[6]
Economy
Waterfront on the Amnok River
An important light industry centre in North Korea, Sinŭiju has a plant manufacturing enamelled ironware as well as a textile mill, paper mill and an afforestation factory. Its southwest harbour has a shipyard, although the shipyard's main function is seemingly to dismantle ships for scrap metal and other usable materials rather than building new ships. The area has recycling plants which recycle a wide range of material, including products that are banned for recycling in China.[7][8][9] The Sinŭiju Cosmetics Factory is located in South Sinŭiju (Namsinŭiju).
Trade with China
A substantial portion of North Korea's international trade, both legal and illegal, passes through Sinuiju and Dandong, across the Yalu River.[10]
Central market
Since 2002, commercial life has been centred on the Chaeha-dong Market.[11] Based on a satellite image taken on 30 October 2012, the market has been destroyed and is being made into a new park.[11]
Transportation
Sinŭiju Ch'ŏngnyŏn Railway Station
Sinŭiju can be reached from P'yŏngyang by air, railway and road. It can be reached from Dandong in China by crossing the Amnok River by bridge or boat. Foreign tourists on excursion boats from Dandong are sometimes permitted to approach within a few meters of the city's coastline, as long as they do not land.[12]
Air
Sinŭiju's airport has a single turf runway 03/21 measuring 991 metres by 61 metres (3250 feet by 213 feet).[13]Air Koryŏ operates passenger and cargo flights from P'yŏngyang.
Sinuiju has a trolleybus line that runs from the city centre to the railway station. It was reopened in October 2020 with new trolleybuses derived from the Pyongyang Chollima-321 trolleybus. It formerly had another line running from the Sinuiju Chongnyon Station to Ragwon Machine Complex that closed between 2005 and 2009 with the reconstruction of the highway with a shifted alignment.[14]
Climate
Sinŭiju has a monsoonal humid continental climate (KöppenDwa) with hot, humid and stormy summers and cold, dry winters with little snowfall.
Climate data for Sinuiju (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1957–present)
Facilities in Sinŭiju include Sinŭiju High School, Sinŭiju Commercial High School, Eastern Middle School, Sinŭiju Light Industry University, Sinŭiju University of Medicine and the Sinuiju University of Education. Scenic sites include the Tonggun Pavilion, Waterfall, and Hot Springs.
^ abMossman, Billy (June 29, 2005). United States Army in the Korean War: Ebb and Flow November 1950-July 1951. University Press of the Pacific. p. 51.
^"Klimatafel von Sinuiju / Korea (Nordkorea)"(PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
^"Station 47035 Sinuiju". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Archived from the original on 2017-10-17. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
^"Station Sinuiju" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
^Kane, Daniel (October 22, 2010). "Observations from Dandong". NK News. Retrieved December 18, 2016. Further in shore I spotted Sinuiju's signature monument, the Ferris wheel that doesn't move.
Further reading
Cathcart, Adam; Kraus, Charles (2008). "Peripheral Influence: The Sinŭiju Student Incident of 1945 and the Impact of Soviet Occupation in North Korea". Journal of Korean Studies. 13 (1): 1–28. doi:10.1353/jks.2008.0002. S2CID144775147.
Dormels, Rainer (2014). North Korea's Cities: Industrial facilities, internal structures and typification. Jimoondang. ISBN978-89-6297-167-5.
North Korea UncoveredArchived 2008-12-22 at the Wayback Machine, (North Korea Google Earth) see a mapping of Sinuiju's main infrastructure, power lines, railroad, detention center, and Kim Jong Il residence, plus a whole lot more.
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