Kim Jong Suk County

Kim Jong Suk County is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea, along the Yalu River.

The Sinpa Revolutionary Site there is associated with Kim Jong Suk's underground political activities there during the anti-Japanese struggle.

History
Originally part of Samsu, the county was made into a separate entity in 1952, using Samso myeon, Samsu myon, Chaso myon, and Insan ri of Hoin myon. The county was initially known as Sinpa, meaning "New Galpa", adding the new in the name to differentiate from the Old town of Galpa. The Old town name of Galpa meant the town had plenty of Kudzu vines, known as "Gal(葛)" in Hanja. Other theories suggest the name Singalpa is named after a person who made military contributions to the fight against foreign enemies. The county was renamed in 1981 after Kim Jong Suk, the mother of Kim Jong Il.

Geography
Kimjŏngsuk lies in the northern portion of the Kaema Plateau, and slopes downward toward the north. The Changjin River flows through the county, which is traversed by the Puksubaek Mountains and Huisaekbong Mountains. The highest point is Huisaekbong itself, 2185 m. Some 92% of the county's area is forestland. The chief rivers are the Yalu and the Changjin. The climate varies, with extremely cold temperatures prevailing in the south, and 3-3.5 °C warmer temperatures along the Yalu in the north.

Administrative divisions
Kimjŏngsuk county is divided into 1 ŭp (town), 2 rodongjagu (workers' districts) and 22 ri (villages):

Economy
The chief local industry is logging; there is little agriculture, except for some rice cultivation along the Yalu. A certain amount of wheat, maize, soybeans, and potatoes are also produced. There are local deposits of molybdenum, gold, copper, silver, lead, zinc and tungsten. Honeybees and other livestock are also raised. Hydropower is abundant. Food processing dominates local manufacturing.

Transportation
The county is served by both road and rail, with the Pukbunaeryuk Line of the Korean State Railway passing through the county.