Hongwon County 홍원군
County
Korean transcription(s)
• Hanja	洪原郡
• McCune-Reischauer	Hongwŏn kun
• Revised Romanization	Hongwon-gun
Map of South Hamgyong showing the location of Hongwon
Country	North Korea
Province	South Hamgyong Province
Administrative divisions	1 ŭp, 4 workers' district, 27 ri
Area
• Total	905 km2 (349 sq mi)
Population  (2008[1])
• Total	142,910
• Density	160/km2 (410/sq mi)

Hongwŏn County is a county in South Hamgyŏng province, North Korea. It is flanked by the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) to the south, and by the Hamgyŏng Mountains to the north.

Physical features

The northwest region is particularly mountainous. The highest peak is Palbong. The chief streams are the Tongdaech'ŏn (동대천) and Sŏdaech'ŏn (서대천). The coastal region is level. The temperature differs greatly from the coastline to the plains to the mountains. The mountains contribute to giving the county a mild climate.

Administrative divisions

Hongwŏn county is divided into 1 ŭp (town), 4 rodongjagu (workers' districts) and 27 ri (villages):

Economy

Agriculture and fishery

The chief local occupation is agriculture. Local crops include rice, soybeans, millet, oats, and potatoes. However, fisheries are also developed, particularly along the coast.

Mining

There is a small amount of mining, exploiting local deposits of gold, silver, limestone, fluorspar, and scaly graphite.

Transport

The county is served by road and rail. Hongwŏn Station is on the P'yŏngra line of the Korean State Railway.

Notable people from Hongwon County

• Rikidozan (Real Name: Kim Sin-rak; Korean: 김신락), Zainichi Korean professional wrestler