Нампо: История и современность северокорейского порта

Nampo (North Korean official spelling: Nampho; ), also spelled Namp'o, is a city in North Korea which is the country's fourth largest by population. The city is an important seaport in the country as it lies on the northern shore of the Taedong River, 15 km east of the river's mouth. Formerly known as Chinnamp'o, it was a provincial level "Directly Governed City" ("Chikhalsi") from 1980 to 2004, and was designated a "Special City" ("T'ŭkpyŏlsi", 특별시; 特別市) in 2010. Nampo is approximately 50 km southwest of Pyongyang, at the mouth of the Taedong River. Since North Korean independence, the city has developed a wide range of industry and has seen significant recent redevelopment.

The city belonged to Gojoseon until the Three Kingdoms era, when it was taken by Goguryeo. During this time, the city was part of Sogyong (now Pyongyang) until the Goryeo dynasty, when in the aftermath of the Myocheong rebellion, Sogyong was split into six counties, of which currently constitute Nampo are Kangso hyon, Ryonggang hyon and Samhwa hyon. In the late Goryeo period, the area was named Chungnampo for the village of Pogu, located to the south of Chungsan County. After the establishment of Joseon dynsasty, the area belonged to Pyongan Province. According to North Korean history, Kim Il Sung's grandfather raised the alarm on the foreign ship and led the attack on it. The name of the city comes from the fishing village that was originally located in the Samhwa hyon area of South Pyongan Province. The city was renamed to Chinnampo during the Japanese occupation of Korea, by adding the character '鎭' as during the First Sino Japanese War, the Japanese landed in Nampo and defeated the Qing dynasty forces. The name was immediately reverted to Nampo after liberation to be rid of colonial legacies. In 2010, the city was detached from South Pyongan Province, and the counties which were originally part of the city reassigned to it along with transferring administration of Onchon gun to Nampo. Due to these changes, Nampo became the second largest city in North Korea.

Prior to liberation, the industry was fully committed to military needs to supply the Japanese imperialist ambition and was an important port for munitions transport. For convenience, the Japanese built industries were clustered around what are now the districts of Waudo guyok and Hunggu guyok. Since then, Nampo has developed a strong economy with some industries in these areas being demolished and rebuilt in the corridor from Nampo to Pyongyang, such as in Chollima guyok, Kangso guyok or Taean guyok. Four other important industries of the city are the Chollima Steel Complex, Taean Friendship Glass Factory, Kumsong Tractor Factory and Taean Heavy Machine Complex. Although the city also has a range of light industry, the major companies are all invested in various forms of heavy industry. an example being Pyeonghwa Motors, which was a joint venture between the Unification Church and the North Korean government, where about 340 workers built cars from knock down kits, mainly various Chinese cars and Fiats. A submersible submarine launched ballistic missile launch platform is based out of Nampo. The platform was first observed in 2017 and was likely operational in 2019, although in 2020 the platform was captured out of the water, possibly for repairs, as at the same time, the first platform in the Sinpho South Shipyard also underwent repairs. A number of Hainan (Taechong) class patrol vessels, Osa (Soju) class missile boats, Nongo class fast attack crafts, Komar class missile boats, Nampo class corvettes and a Najin class frigate are based in Nampo.

In 2018, a report in The Diplomat claimed to have uncovered a Uranium enrichment facility in Chollima guyok. A large building is said to contain the centrifuges for isotope separation and is surrounded by a wall, which according to the report, is a sign of a high security facility. The lack of snow on the roof of the building suggest that heat is being produced the entire year, and thus suggested that it is likely to be a uranium enrichment site. However, these features are common in North Korea, and buildings with security fencing, on site housing and monuments to the Kim family and are not proof of a uranium enrichment facility. The Korean People's Army brigades that were assigned to the nuclear program are fixed, unlike the shock troops deployed for hydroelectric power station or apartment construction and if they were moved to Nampo, there should be evident signs in satellite imagery, of which there were none. Similarly, the security at the facility is comparably low, being accessed on an open road off the Youth Hero Motorway and with few facilities for security personal onsite. In comparison, the nearby Chamjin Missile Factory (Tae sung Machine Plant) has noticeably higher security; an actual enrichment facility at the Nyongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center has multiple gates and inspection posts and is in a significantly less exposed position.

According to the 2008 North Korea Census, a population of 366,815 lived in the city, of which 310,864 lived in urban areas and 55,951 lived in rural areas.

Nampo is located on the west coast of Korea, and is mostly low lying with 82% of the city below 50 metres elevation. There are mountains mostly in the south and east, which are generally below 100 metres above sea level, forming a wavy plain. The highest points in the city are on the Osok mountain range, with Osok san at 566 m and Guksabong at 506 m. The many rivers and streams flowing through the city provide good conditions for agriculture. Underneath the city, there are iron, manganese, titanium along with other precious metals, including gold and silver.

Around 5,000 birds visit the Kumsong tideland and 76,000 waterbirds visit the lake created by the West Sea Barrage, which includes a number of endangered and vulnerable birds.

The Youth Hero Motorway, completed in October 2000 connects Nampo to Pyongyang. The motorway was built mainly by younger people, and hence the road was renamed in commemoration of their efforts from Pyongyang Nampo Motorway to the Youth Hero Motorway.

Nampo has a trolleybus system which opened around 1982. The system has a main line, running from Nampo Stadium to the northeast of the city and a branch from the main line to the west of the city, near the salt pans. The branch could be only served from the direction of the stadium, and was in poor condition with the overhead line no longer stretched with it not being used at least since 2011. In 2015, the service was reported intermittently operated if at all, and only on weekdays. Operation was returned to normal from 24 August 2021, when the city authorities declared a push to improve transport, which included normalising the trolleybus service. As part of this push, around 20 derelict buses were repaired and brought back into service. In November 2015, a solar panel electric bus developed by the science and technological committee of Nampo was tested in the city. It is powered by 32 100 watt solar panels charging 50 Taedonggang Batteries and powering a 95 kW DC motor to carry up to 140 passengers at 40 km/h and is part of the effort to alleviate the energy shortages in North Korea. Tarkhov, Sergei and Dmitriy Merzlov. "North Korean Surprises Part 3". (Trolleybus Magazine No. 246, November–December 2002).

The only airport in Nampo is the military Onch'ŏn Air Base in Onch'ŏn gun.

The first rail line in Korea was built connecting Pyongyang and Chinnampo in 1895 by the Japanese military. It was an 88 km line with cars that were man powered and running on 21 inch tracks but was dismantled not long after it began operation. The greater Nampo area is densely served by the Korean State Railway, with a number of stations on the P'yŏngnam Line, the entirety of the Ryonggang, Sŏhaekammun, Posan, Nampohang and Taean lines, and one station on the Ŭllyul Line being located inside the boundaries of Namp'o t'ŭkpyŏlsi. Branches off the Pyongnam line at Nampo station specifically serve the Nampo Smelting Complex and Nampo Electrode Factory.

Parts of the World Cultural Heritage listed Koguryo tombs are located in Ryonggang County, dating to the 5th century which provides much information on the study of the social, architectural, painting and castles of the Koguryo dynasty. Although most of the murals have faded away, a portrait and a map are still present on the south walls. An early Koryo Dynasty era granite Buddhist image was unearthed by the Kim Il Sung University and lt=Academy of Social Sciences and registered to the list of national treasures in 2019. Various other artefacts were also unearthed along with it, such as iron arrowheads, metallic currency and pottery. It appears to depict Bhaisajyaguru as it is holding a gallipot with both hands. The Hwangnyong Fortress was built during Koguryo and repaired in year 919 under the Koryo Dynasty. The original purpose was to defend Pyongyang from invaders in the southwest. The peaks in the north, east, south and west of the fort are used as observation posts during peacetime and can be used as command posts during wartime. There are three historical tombs in Nampo, all dating to the Goguryeo dynasty.