Wiwon County

Wiwŏn County is a kun, or county, in northern Chagang province, North Korea. It stands across the Yalu River from the People's Republic of China. It was originally part of North P'yŏngan province, but was annexed to Chagang in 1954. It borders Manp'o and Sijungto the north, Kanggye and Songgan to the east, Ch'onch'ŏn to the southeast, Kop'ung to the south and west, and Ch'osan to the west.

Wiwon County 위원군
County
Korean transcription(s)
• Hanja	渭原郡
• McCune-Reischauer	Wiwŏn kun
• Revised Romanization	Wiwon-gun
Map of Chagang showing the location of Wiwon
Country	North Korea
Province	Chagang Province
Administrative divisions	1 ŭp, 2 workers' districts, 20 ri
Area
• Total	1,171 km2 (452 sq mi)
Population  (2008[1])
• Total	60,245
• Density	51/km2 (130/sq mi)

The main line of the Kangnam Mountains passes along the southeast border. The highest point is Sunjŏksan (숭적산, 1984 m). High mountains also rise along the border with Kop'ung and Ch'osan. The climate is continental, with cold winters and an average annual temperature of 6 °C.

The chief local industries are logging and agriculture. There is little valley land, so rice is not grown; however, orchards are cultivated and livestock raised. In addition, dry-field crops include soybeans, maize, and potatoes. In September 2005, North Korea announced the completion of a second power station in Wiwon to supply electric power to the forestry camps.[2]