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Nampo

North Korea · Asia

Nampo, North Korea
Nampo, North Korea. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

About Nampo

Nampo, also spelled Namp'o, is a major 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 estuary, 15 km east of the estuary'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" 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...

Nampo travel guide

Understand

Nampo is a city of 366,000 people on the west coast of North Korea. It is a significant port and has a shipbuilding yard.

Getting there

By train 1 Nampo station (남포역) is on the main Pyongnam Line from Pyongyang, although it is unlikely to be available for foreigners.

See

Goguryeo Tombs, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Eat

The Ryonggang County area of the city is famed for its apples.

Sleep

Ryonggang Hot Spring House, Onchon. This is apparently the only accommodation option for foreigners visiting Nampho, albeit 20km to the north west. (updated Jan 2016)

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

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