North Ch'ungch'ong Province
(2000 est. pop. 1.5 million). North Ch'ungch'ong province (Ch'ungch'ong pukdo), in the central region of South Korea (Republic of Korea), has an area of 7,433 square kilometers. The provincial capital is at Ch'ongju, and the other cities in the province are Ch'ungju and Chech'on. There are also eight counties (kun).
Present-day North Ch'ungch'ong had been divided among the Three Kingdoms; Paekche (18–663 CE) was located in modern-day Ch'ongju and Poun, while Shilla (57–935 CE) controlled the south, and Koguryo (37 BCE–668 CE) occupied the northeast. Paekche, however, encompassed all of North Ch'ungch'ong from the fourth century until it fell to Shilla in 663.
The region is highly industrialized; its products include chemicals, machinery, electronics, cement, foodstuffs, textiles, and clothing, as well as ceramics and pottery. North Ch'ungch'ong is ideal for agriculture because of the fertile soil provided by the Han and Kum rivers and their numerous tributaries and basins. Primary agricultural products include rice, barley, apples, pears, grapes, red pepper, garlic, ginseng, and tobacco. The province is quite mountainous and is a source for gold, iron, lime, and coal.
Further Reading
Cho, Chung-Kyung, Phyllis Haffner, and Fredric M. Kaplan. (1991) The Korea Guidebook. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Nilsen, Robert. (1997) South Korea Handbook. Chico, CA: Moon Publications.
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