Kusong

Kusŏng (Korean pronunciation: [ku.sʌŋ]) is a city in central North Pyongan province, North Korea. It borders Taegwan to the north, Taechon to the east, Kwaksan and Chongju to the south, and Chonma to the west. The highest point is Chongryongsan (청룡산, 920 m). The year-round average temperature is 8.2 °C, with a January average of -9.6 °C and an August average of 23.3 °C. 1300 millimeters of rain fall in a typical year. 22% of the county's area is cultivated; 64% is forested.

Kusong
구성시
Municipal City
Korean transcription(s)
 • Chosŏn'gŭl구성시
 • Hancha龜城市
 • McCune-ReischauerKusŏng si
 • Revised RomanizationGuseong-si
Map of North Pyongan showing the location of Kusong
Map of North Pyongan showing the location of Kusong
Kusong is located in North Korea
Kusong
Kusong
Location within North Korea
Coordinates: 39°58′N 125°10′E
CountryNorth Korea
ProvinceNorth Pyongan Province
Administrative divisions24 tong, 18 ri
Area
 • Total666.8 km2 (257.5 sq mi)
Population
 (2008)
 • Total196,515
 • Dialect
P'yŏngan
Time zoneUTC+9 (Pyongyang Time)

Educational institutions located in Kusong include Kusong Mechanical College and Kusong Industrial College. Historical relics include the Koryo-dynasty Kuju Castle.

Industry

Kusong is also home to much of North Korea's military industry, with both munitions factories and uranium mines in the area.[1] The No.112, also known as the January 12th Factory was the site of the first successful Hwasong-12 launch, with a memorial dedicated to the successful launch nearby.[2]

The Panghyon airfield is also located by Kusong,[3] which is a site of missile test launches, including the first successful ICBM test launch by the DPRK.[3]

Kusong is home to the Machine Plant managed by Ho Chol Yong, a large factory that produces tracked vehicles and tanks. This factory saw multiple extensions to it in 2016 and 2020. The factories' expansion is reflected on the increasing use of tracked transporter erector launchers.[4]

Climate
Climate data for Kusong (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −0.7
(30.7)		 2.3
(36.1)		 8.8
(47.8)		 16.9
(62.4)		 23.1
(73.6)		 26.8
(80.2)		 28.4
(83.1)		 29.2
(84.6)		 25.7
(78.3)		 18.5
(65.3)		 8.5
(47.3)		 0.2
(32.4)		 15.6
(60.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) −6.6
(20.1)		 −3.4
(25.9)		 2.7
(36.9)		 10.1
(50.2)		 16.4
(61.5)		 21.1
(70.0)		 24.1
(75.4)		 24.2
(75.6)		 19.1
(66.4)		 11.6
(52.9)		 3.0
(37.4)		 −4.9
(23.2)		 9.8
(49.6)
Average low °C (°F) −11.7
(10.9)		 −8.6
(16.5)		 −2.4
(27.7)		 3.8
(38.8)		 10.4
(50.7)		 16.3
(61.3)		 20.5
(68.9)		 20.3
(68.5)		 13.9
(57.0)		 5.9
(42.6)		 −1.6
(29.1)		 −9.4
(15.1)		 4.8
(40.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 6.1
(0.24)		 17.7
(0.70)		 23.3
(0.92)		 53.5
(2.11)		 87.6
(3.45)		 123.0
(4.84)		 342.4
(13.48)		 312.6
(12.31)		 91.8
(3.61)		 52.6
(2.07)		 55.2
(2.17)		 16.6
(0.65)		 1,182.4
(46.55)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 2.8 3.7 4.1 5.8 8.0 9.1 12.2 10.8 6.3 6.0 6.4 5.7 80.9
Average snowy days 3.3 3.1 2.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.9 4.4 15.1
Average relative humidity (%) 63.9 62.7 63.3 64.1 69.2 76.6 84.1 82.5 75.0 70.5 70.2 67.5 70.8
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration[5]

Administrative divisions

The city is divided into 24 neighborhoods (dong) and 18 villages (ri).Panghyŏn-dong
(방현동/方峴洞), a missile industry area, used to be part of the city but it was later transferred to the administration under Pyongyang city in 2018 and is now not part of the city.[6]

See also

Footnotes
  1. Pike, John. "Kusong - North Korean Special Weapons Facilities". www.globalsecurity.org.
  2. "Commemorating the 2017 Hwasong-12 IRBM Launch?". Beyond Parallel. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  3. Choe, Sang-hun (July 4, 2017). "North Korea Claims Success in Long-Range Missile Test". The New York Times. USA. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  4. "New Construction Activity at the Kusong Tank Plant". www.armscontrolwonk.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  5. "30 years report of Meteorological Observations in North Korea (1991 ~ 2020)" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. pp. 210, 294, and 344. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. 김준호 (2018-03-05). "북, 미사일 산업지역 평양시 행정구역에 편입". Radio Free Asia.

References

Further reading
  • Dormels, Rainer. North Korea's Cities: Industrial facilities, internal structures and typification. Jimoondang, 2014. ISBN 978-89-6297-167-5


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