Kŭmgang-san Tourist Region
| Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl : | 금강산 관광 지구 |
| Hancha : | 金剛山 觀光 地區 |
| McCune-Reischauer : | Kŭmgangsan Kwan'gwang Chigu |
| Revised Romanization : | Geumgangsan Gwan-gwang Jigu |
| Basic data | |
| Surface: | 530 km²
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The Kregionmgang-san tourist region is a special administrative region in the North Korean province of Kangwŏn-do around the Kŭmgangsan , in German "Diamond Mountains". It was created in 2002 for tourism from South Korea .
climate
The region is located in the temperate climate zone . The average annual temperature is 11.0 degrees Celsius, the annual amount of precipitation 1580.8 millimeters. The warmest month is August with an average of 23.6 degrees Celsius, the coldest January with an average of −2.1 degrees Celsius. Most of the precipitation falls in August with an average of 320.9 millimeters, the least in December with an average of 50.3 millimeters.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature (° C) |
−2.1 | −1.0 | 3.4 | 10.2 | 15.7 | 18.9 | 22.6 | 23.6 | 19.1 | 13.5 | 7.4 | 1.0 | 11.0 |
| Average rainfall (mm) |
54.2 | 61.2 | 68.0 | 73.7 | 91.1 | 164.1 | 270.3 | 320.9 | 224.1 | 108.7 | 94.2 | 50.3 | 1580.8 |
history
The 530 square kilometer mountain region, which forms the tax-free administrative region of Kŭmgang-san, has a special position from a tourist point of view. On the one hand, it is a popular destination on various guided routes, and on the other hand, it made the headlines because it is the only one that is currently allowed to be approached by ship from South Korea, of course under strict isolation. The Hyundai Motor Company serves this itinerary for visitors from South Korea. This came about after the agreement between Chung Ju-yung , the former CEO and founder of Hyundai, and Kim Jong-il , the then ruler of North Korea. After Chung Ju-yung donated cattle to North Korea in June 1998, he reached an agreement with Kim Jong-il on the Kŭmgang travel program.
On November 18, 1998, the cruise ship “Kŭmgang” started its first voyage towards the Kŭmgang-san from South Korea. By mid-2008, over a million South Koreans had visited the region. Since July 11, 2008, all trips have been suspended due to an incident. In this incident, a South Korean woman was shot dead by North Korean soldiers. The exact course is still unclear today. North Korea also refuses to cooperate in solving the case. In 2019, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un decided to demolish the hotels built by South Korea, which are to be replaced by North Korean buildings.
In 2011 the region was renamed in Korean to 국제 국제 관광 특별구 Kŭmgangsan Kukche Kwan'gwangt'ŭkpyŏlgu ('K Internationalemgangsan International Special Tourism Zone').
Culture and sights
Hyundai Asan created the tourist infrastructure in the mountain region . Several large restaurants to handle hundreds of guests at the same time, a traditional Korean mega bathhouse with a local hot spring , a large event hall where the North Korean State Circus performs regularly, and a number of souvenir shops have opened.
The Kŭmgang-san tourist region is considered to be one of the most scenic areas on the Korean Peninsula . Around 12,000 mountain peaks line the region, in spring all kinds of flowers bloom, in summer you have a clear view of the Sea of Japan, and in autumn the mountainous landscape is bathed in rich colors.
The 1,639 meter high Piro Mountain, not to be confused with the Piro in Myohang-san , is the highest point in the Kŭmgangsan . In the mountains there are numerous historical temples and cult buildings as well as various monuments to the former head of state of North Korea Kim Il-sung .
literature
- P. Klautke: Keum Gang San . The diamond mountains of Korea. In: Communications from the OAG . Vol. XXI, C. Tokyo 1926 (travel guide of historical interest, extensively on flora, fauna and Buddhist sites that no longer exist today; ill.).
Individual evidence
- ^ Ministry of Unification: Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region
- ↑ DPRK Guidebook: DPRK's Special Economic Zones ( Memento from June 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ BBC News: N Korea steps up row with South , found October 6, 2008
- ↑ Fabian Kretschmer: No more holidays in North Korea. the daily newspaper , accessed on October 26, 2019
Web links
- Hyundai Asan , The company in the background of Kŭmgang-san.
Cities centrally administered by the Pyongyang government
Special administrative
regions Kaesŏng industrial region |
Tourist region Kŭmgang-san |
Special administrative region Sin Besondereiju
Chagang-do provinces |
Hamgyŏng-pukto |
Hamgyŏng-namdo |
Hwanghae-pukto |
Hwanghae-namdo |
Kangwon-do |
P'yŏngan-pukto |
P'yŏngan-namdo |
Ryanggang-do
Coordinates: 38 ° 41 ′ 0 ″ N , 128 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ E