[KS] _Encyclopedia of North Korean Geography and Culture_

[Frank Hoffmann]

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    just forwarding this ..
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Encyclopedia of North Korean Geography and Culture


Institute for Peace Affairs (IPA)
321-89 Galhyun-Dong, Eunpyung-Gu, Seoul 122-806
December 1, 2005
E-mail: ipa21 at chol.com, Tel. 02-358-0612-5, Fax. 02-384-1924

To: Ambassador
Attn.: who it may concern,

Dear Ambassador,

I am very pleased to inform that you are now available to get North 
Korea's recent and accurate information due to the publication of 
Encyclopedia of North Korean Geography and Culture (ENKGC). Institute 
for Peace Affairs (IPA) has recently published ENKGC according to the 
official contract with North Korean authorities. ENKGC is the first 
cooperation between two Koreas in publication.

ENKGC contains lots of facts that you want to know about North Korean 
geography and culture. ENKGC consists of nearly 350,000 entries with 
15,000 pictures and over 230 maps for each administrative district. 
Pictures were taken very recently (mostly after 2002) and they are 
verified through cross-check by IPA researchers and North Korean 
scholars. I am sure that this kind of materials may give you valuable 
information to understand North Korea and to prepare for future 
investment after diplomatic normalization with it.

IPA is now ready to deliver you ENKGC. It would be a great 
opportunity to get accurate and latest information about North Korea 
because ENKGC is only book for which North Korean authorities 
reluctantly provided information. According to contract, IPA had 
asked lots of questions to North Korean Agent and had got precious 
answers which had been known incorrectly before ENKGC.


I am sending this e-mail with attached files which contain more 
details about ENKGC. Please do not hesitate to ask us through e-mail, 
fax, or telephone how to buy ENKGC. JeongWoo Lee, our research 
fellow, will help you with kindness. We always thank you and your 
country for trying to keep warm relationship with our country.

Truly,
Vice Chairman
Dr. Young-Seok Shin
The First Encyclopedia on North Korea
Encyclopedia of North Korean Geography and Culture

You can get everything about North Korea!
Encyclopedia of North Korean Geography and Culture (hereafter 
'ENKGC') provides everything you want to know about North Korean 
geography, industries, botanic, animals, mountains, rivers, villages, 
cities, culture, traditions, maps, recent pictures of each village, 
old names of current cities, monuments, history, transportation, 
cultural relics and remains by district, national treasure, natural 
resources, folk customs, food, house, family type, and over 5.000 
North Korean Leaders, etc..

All official information is from North Korean government!
ENKGC is based on North Korean official survey on its whole country 
regions. Under the direction of Kim Il-Sung and based on the cabinet 
resolution no. 55 in 1966 May, the several hundreds of North Korean 
scholars had been organized and tens of thousands of investigators 
had been mobilized to complete the survey. Scholars from all over the 
country with administrative officers had devoted for thirty years to 
confirm accurate names of each village and in history across the 
country. The basic contents of ENKGC were completed in the late 
1990's. ENKGC was made up according to that contents and ENKGC added 
lots of related information, which were mentioned above, on it by 
region. Therefore, all the information of ENKGC is certified by North 
Korean authorities.
More information about ENKGC is to be followed;

Encyclopedia of North Korean Geography and Culture


Contents

I. Significance
II. Background and Circumstances
III. Composition and Main Contents
   1. General Introduction
   2. Composition
   3. Main substance
IV. Distinctive Features
   1. Primary features
   2. Features in substance 





Institute for Peace Affairs
Tel. 02-358-0612-5, Fax. 02-384-1924, e-mail: afklee at hanmail.net
I. Significance

- ENKGC gives a comprehensive survey result in both of the natural 
geography and the human geography of the entire area of North Korea 
by its administrative districts such as major city/province, 
city/county/labor county and Tong/Eup/Ri. One of its purposes is to 
provide databases as basic information to make a relationship with 
and to invest to North Korea near future.

- ENKGC is the first official encyclopedia to be published about 
North Korean geography and culture since the division of the Korean 
peninsula. Two private organizations from the North and the South 
co-compiled ENKGC under official approvals from each government. It 
is also meaningful symbol in inter-Korean cooperative project.

- Information on the natural and the human geography of North Korea 
has been very limited revealed to outside world because of the North 
Korea's information-control policy. It is now expected that ENKGC 
will take a role as an important guideline in the study of North 
Korea as a first-hand resource.

II. Background and Circumstances

- Since its establishment, North Korea has reorganized its 
administrative districts more than 60 times. This reorganization 
makes it difficult to grasp a particular area by old maps and data. 
Most of the materials available in South Korea were published before 
the 1945 liberation of Korea or sporadically after it. Although the 
maps were produced based on photos via satellite, most of them lacked 
accurate boundaries and were inconsistent in their naming of places.

-The two project partners from the South and the North, Institute of 
Peace Affairs and Science Encyclopedia Publishing, respectively, met 
through Chosun Cultural Institute in China. As a result of their 
frequent conversations, they agreed that com-compiling ENKGC would be 
a practical project because it would correspond with the time frame 
of the policy of reconciliation and cooperation.

-The two private organizations contracted with each other without a 
mediator for the first time in inter-publishing history. After 
receiving official approvals from each government, they organized a 
co-compilation committee and it has finally become an inter-Korean 
project in both name and reality.

III. Composition & Main Contents

a. General Introduction 

-ENKGC consists of nearly 350 thousand entries with 15 thousand 
photographs and over 230 maps. 

-Under the direction of Chief Kim Il-Sung and based on the 'Cabinet 
command' no. 55, in May 1966, the foremost scholars in North Korea 
organized the 'Cho-Sun Region Dictionary Compilation' committee. By 
mobilizing more than a thousand people a year, including scholars 
from all over the country and key administrative officers, they spent 
30 years surveying the names of places across the country. The basic 
contents of ENKGC were completed in the late 1990's. Now, for the 
very first time, the public is able to access their work through the 
publication of ENKGC.

- Nearly one thousand contributors made detailed studies both of the 
changes of villages themselves and the changes of the village names. 
They completed these studies by threading their way through North 
Korea, including even the smallest villages. The academic world of 
North Korea values the data and has called it a 'monumental work in 
the time of labor party' and a 'masterpiece comparable to a national 
treasure.'

-ENKGC is a 20 volume set, containing three parts: 'Region,' 'Folk 
Customs' and 'Biography.' The first 16 volumes contain regional 
information based on the current state of the administrative 
districts. Volume 17 clearly displays the customs of clothing, food 
and housing. Volume 18 includes more than 5 thousand biographies of 
contemporary North Koreans in a variety of vocations: politics, 
economy, military, society, culture, art, and the athletic world. The 
final two volumes are an Index - a helpful tool making it easy to 
access information from the extensive material.    

-Some photographs were taken recently (2001-2003).  They present 
vivid pictures of each area. Other photographs belong to 
organizations in North Korea which contribute to the compilation of 
ENKGC. Maps that North Korea had planned to publish in 2004 are 
included in ENKGC and reflect the current administrative districts as 
of January 2005.

b. Composition

Volume 1. Pyongyang
Volume 2. Major cities (Nampo, Gaeseong, Nasun)
Volume 3. South Pyongan Province 1/2
Volume 4. South Pyongan Province 2/2
Volume 5. North Pyongan Province 1/2
Volume 6. North Pyongan Province 2/2
Volume 7. Jagang Province
Volume 8. South Hwanghae Province 1/2
Volume 9. South Hwanghae Province 2/2
Volume 10. North Hwanghae Province
Volume 11. Kangwon Province
Volume 12. South Hamkyong Province 1/2
Volume 13. South Hamkyong Province 2/2
Volume 14. North Hamkyong Province 1/2
Volume 15. North Hamkyong Province 2/2
Volume 16. Yanggang Province
Volume 17. Biography of North Korean Leaders
Volume 18. Traditional Culture
Volume 19. Index
Volume 20. Index   

c. Main Substance

ENKGC contains information on natural geography by region: the 
history of the names of places, historical changes, topography, 
geology, climate, mountains and rivers, natural health resources, 
natural monuments, animals and botany.  There is also information on 
human geography: economy, transportation, major enterprises, 
educational culture, historic relics, folk customs, food and people.

Changes of the 'Administrative Districts System'
North Korea has reorganized its administrative districts more than 60 
times since the 1945 liberation of Korea. As of January 2005, North 
Korea has one Special City, 9 provinces, 3 major cities, 24 cities, 
and 148 counties, districts and subordinate units like 'Tong', 'Eup', 
'Workers District' and 'Ri'.

'Maps' Showing Even Smaller Administrative Districts
Maps by province, county and district show the subdividing situation 
of the administrative districts and indicate the locations of 
railroads, roads, mountains and rivers in detail. Nampo, Gaeseong, 
and Nasun were recently reorganized as major cities.  Thanks to 
ENKGC, information on these cities is now being introduced to South 
Korea.

'The History of the Names of Places'
This section combines 'history' and 'old names' and alerts readers to 
the many name changes that both natural landmarks and administrative 
places have undergone. For example, for the history of Cheongjin, 
North Hamkyong province, it explains, "It is a city that was 
reorganized from Cheongjinpu immediately after the 1945 liberation. 
Because the village has a ferry located in front of Cheongam Mountain 
which has green rocks, it is called Cheongjin, meaning 'green ferry.' 
At first, a Chinese ideograph, Cheong, meaning green, was used, 
however, in the later years, people changed it to another Chinese 
ideograph, Cheong, meaning clearness."
A valley located in Saegoel Ridge, Gobi Worker District, Kangdong 
County, Pyeongyang, "is called 'Tank valley' because US tanks were 
destroyed there by North Korean soldiers during the Korean War. A 
valley located to the north of Kwanmo Ri, Kyeongseong County, North 
Hamkyong, is named 'Aircraft valley', because a US aircraft crashed 
there."

'Old Names' of the Administrative Districts from the Period of the 
Three States through the Period of Chosun dynasty.
ENKGC includes names of places and their origins in the time of the 
Three States and BalHae up until the beginning of Chosun. ENKGC 
indicates the old Korean names of places alongside the current 
administrative names. 

'Nature' Showing Topographical Features
Readers can picture the mountain ranges because ENKGC describes each 
mountain along with its height. The contents of 'Nature' in the 
Kangwon province (well known as the area having the most mountains in 
the Korean peninsula) will give you a good example of topographical 
features along with concrete explanations.

'Economy' Helping You Grasp the Industrial System of Each Region at a Glance
ENKGC describes the industry structure in detail. This part includes 
the comprehensive economical situation: light industry, machine 
industry, chemical industry, agriculture, fisheries and forestry. Pie 
charts show what percentage of the overall industry structure each 
industry comprises.

'Transportation' Covering Road Information and Method of Transportation
ENKGC displays all of the available transportation systems by region: 
railways, highways, waterways, and marine ways. ENKGC makes it 
possible to see all the traffic lines for transportation between 
regions. For example, the contents of 'Transportation' give you road 
information for moving between towns and inform the reader about the 
availability of public transportation.

Distinctive 'Major Enterprises' by Region
Restaurants in North Korea are distinctive because of their 
largeness. Pyongyang Gray Mullet Soup Restaurant in Rak-Rang 
district, Pyongyang, is a special restaurant for gray mullet soup 
from the Daedong River - a specialty of Pyongyang. Sin-Heung-Kwan in 
Ham-Heung, South Hamkyong is well-known as the native place for 
Ham-Heung cold noodle. Factories and enterprises are also closely 
related to the natural resources produced in the area.

'Remains and Relics', Many Nationally Designated Cultural Assets Are 
Handed Down from the Time of Koguryu
Cultural relics are systematically presented according to their 
levels along with pictures of them in full color. Around two thousand 
cultural relics are disclosed to public for the first time in ENKGC. 
Most of the remains and relics designated as national treasures and 
preservations are from the time of Koguryu. National treasure No. 1 
Pyongyang Fortress, No. 2 An-Hak Palace, and No. 3 Common Gate, all 
found in Pyongyang, are originated from Koguryu.

Identified 'Wild Special Plants' and 'Medicinal Plants' by Their Shape
Wild special plants and medicinal plants growing in North Korea are 
introduced based on the information provided by the National Science 
Botany Institute in North Korea. Colored drawings of collected 
specimens, focusing on shape, are provided. These will be helpful for 
identifying the shape of each plant.

'Folk Songs' Which Reflect the Distinctiveness of Each Province

Distinctive folk songs are arranged by province. Readers can compare 
how folk songs are changed and sung differently by province. 

'Natural Monument' with a Special Designation Meaning

Included are the designation meaning, designation year, background 
and substance of animals & botany and geology & topology which the 
Nature Reservation Federation of North Korea has designated. A total 
of 456 nationally designated natural monuments are introduced with 
colored pictures. 

'Specialties', Principal Resources and Products by Region

Specialties of each region in North Korea refer to both traditional 
specialties handed down from the past and specialties newly developed 
according to the features of each region after the 1945 liberation of 
Korea. They are subdivided into special products, special vegetables, 
special herbs, special fruits, special fish, and special livestock.

'Natural Health Resource' Used for Medical Treatment

Mineral resources such as mineral water, hot springs and mud for 
medical treatment and health resorts are introduced. Natural 
geographical conditions, discovery year and origin, variety, 
property, adaptability, usage and future development of each resource 
are covered. 

'Extraordinary Species of Animals'

These are categorized into mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and 
fishes by the Red Data Book standard from IUCN. This is the first 
'Red Data Book' of North Korea. The articles in this section provide 
the scientific names, classification, features in shape, habit, 
reproduction method, habitat and route of migration of extraordinary 
animals, including endangered species.


'Nature Reservation District'
This part introduces nationally designated nature reservation 
districts by province. North Korea designates many nature reservation 
districts to protect specific animals and plants which inhabit each 
district.

'Traditional Culture (Folk Customs)'
Volume 18 displays clothing, food and housing, and customs of North 
Korea by province, studied by North Korean folklorists. It covers 
aspects of dress, dietary life, residence, family life, labor life, 
folk holiday and folk play.

'People'
Lives of over 5,000 distinctive leaders from various fields, who have 
led North Korean society since before or after the 1945 liberation of 
Korea, are described with accompanying photos. Most people from the 
field of society, culture, art and athletics are introduced to South 
Korea for the first time. Their duties, education background, work 
experience, prizes and decorations, major activity, important work 
and current situation are presented chronologically. For example, 
Mi-Ran Oh, one of the distinctive actresses in North Korea, is 
introduced by her date of birth, place of birth, and art and serial 
movie works in which she performed. The 5,000 people include actors 
and actresses, directors, cameramen, dancers, dance directors, dance 
critics, novelists, poets, playwrights, children's book writers, 
translators, artists, sculptors, craftsmen, handicraft artists, 
composers, reporters, philosophers, botanists, educators and 
theorists.

4. Distinctive Features

a. Primary Features

1) ENKGC contains the most up-to-date information on the North Korean 
region. North Korea has reorganized its administrative districts many 
times and also kept changing the names of schools at all levels along 
with the names of enterprises. ENKGC reflects the changed situation.

It presents never-before- released information and vivid pictures of 
North Korea today, most of which were taken recently.

By a government ordinance of the supreme council, North Korea 
designated Shineauju Special Administrative District on September 12, 
2002, Mt. Keumkang Tourist District on October 23, 2002, and Kaeseong 
Industrial District on November 13, 2002. It caused many areas to be 
merged and abolished. On January 9, 2004, Nampo was reorganized from 
a major city to a special city, now belonging to South Pyongan. 
People school (which is identical to elementary school) and high 
middle school (which is identical to middle school) have become small 
school and middle school respectively in 2002.

2) ENKGC includes the most voluminous information among the North 
Korean-related materials which have so far been published both in the 
North and in the South. It is more extensive and in-depth than other 
material about the North Korean region.

3) ENKGC is the result of the Inter-Korean Cooperative project, which 
was accomplished by direct contract under official approvals from 
each government for the first time.

-In North Korea, project partners besides Science Encyclopedia 
Publishing include nearly 20 organizations such as Social Science 
Institute, Kim Il Sung University, Institute of Chosun Culture 
Reservation, Foreign Publishing and Institute of National Resource 
Botany. Nearly one thousand experts contributed to ENKGC so that it 
can be rightly considered official material on North Korea. The 
project team of Institute of Peace Affairs carefully reviewed the 
manuscript and focused its efforts on enhancing the quality as they 
asked North Korean project partners for verification on numerous 
points. As a result, the information on the North Korean region which 
used to be sporadical and inconsistent has gained coherency. 

b. Features in Substance

  Top 10 Features

1) While maps of North Korea available in South Korea today are from 
1996, maps in ENKGC are from 2004. ENKGC contains the most up-to-date 
North Korean maps.

2) ENKGC offers databases for Inter-Korean economic cooperation like 
joint exploitation of underground resources, and describes 
distributions and locations in detail.     

3) By describing major transportation routes by region, ENKGC becomes 
not only a guide for inter-Korean travel, but also a great reference 
for military and industrial geography.

4) The information on extraordinary animals, plants and natural 
monuments will make a great contribution to the study of the North 
Korean ecosystem.

5) Place names which were changed nearly 60 times in administrative 
district reorganizations are introduced, including even a village in 
which only 20 people live. It makes it possible to examine the 
regional situation of North Korea in great detail.  

6) Information on the remnants and relics known to South Korea so far 
are inconsistent and many are omitted. However, the cultural relics 
of national treasure grade, semi-national treasure grade and 
preservation grade are systematically presented according to their 
levels and will make a great contribution to the preservation of 
national cultural heritage. Many of the preservation grade's relics 
found in ENKGC have never before been open to the public.  

7) ENKGC introduces not only various well-known scenic spots but also 
natural tourist attractions as yet undeveloped. It will be an 
excellent reference for Inter-Korean tourism.

8) Traditional folk customs and food are examined by region. Recipes 
for well-known food will be a valuable source for the study and 
development of traditional food.

9) There has been total lack in the study of folk songs from all 
North Korea areas. ENKGC contains all folk song words by province and 
will do much for the study of national culture.

10) Most North Koreans who are known to South Korea are people in the 
field of politics, military and economy. ENKGC describes people in 
the field of society, culture, art and athletics, and will be useful 
for Inter-Korean exchange in socio-culture.


* Institute of Peace Affairs (IPA) has recently published the 
complete 20 volume set including the volume on Pyongyang. It is 
committed to offering up-to-date information by publishing revisions 
in case of omissions or changes.
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