Sinuiju Special Administrative Region

For the city, see Sinuiju.
Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region
Korean transcription(s)
 • Chosŏn'gŭl 신의주 특별 행정구
 • Hancha 新義州 特別 行政區
 • McCune–Reischauer Sinŭiju T'ŭkpyŏl Haengjŏnggu
 • Revised Romanization Sinuiju Teukbyeol Haengjeonggu
Short name transcription(s)
 • Chosŏn'gŭl 신의주
 • Hancha 新義州
 • McCune–Reischauer Sinŭiju
 • Revised Romanization Sinuiju

A train station in Sinŭiju City, Sinuiju SAR.

Flag
Seal

Map of North Korea highlighting the region.
Country North Korea
Region Kwansŏ
Government
 • Type Special Administrative Region with its own Basic Law
Area
 • Total 132 km2 (51 sq mi)
Population (1998 (est.))
 • Total 349,500
 • Density 2,600/km2 (6,900/sq mi)
Dialect P'yŏngan
Split from North P'yŏngan in 2002.

Sinŭiju Special Administrative Region is a special administrative region (SAR) of North Korea proclaimed in 2002 (but has not been put into de facto operation as of 2014), on the border with China. It was established in September 2002[1] in an area including parts of Sinŭiju and the surrounding area, in an attempt to introduce market economics, and is directly governed as in the case of "Directly Governed Cities". The special administrative region was modelled after China's Special Administrative Regions (SARs), Hong Kong and Macau, and, like them, has a "Basic Law" (기본법; Kibonpŏp).

Chinese-Dutch businessman Yang Bin was appointed to be the first governor by the SPA Presidium in 2002. Before he formally assumed his post, he was arrested by Chinese authorities and sentenced to 18 years in prison for tax evasion and other economic crimes. While the North Korean authorities soon announced that the development of the Sinŭiju SAR would continue and the SAR was put under the administration of its Commission of Foreign Economic Cooperation Promotion, the plans for the SAR seem to have been abandoned. As of April 2008, the SAR reforms still have not been put into effect, and it is widely believed that North Korea has abandoned the project after the governor's arrest. Julie Sa (沙日香) was appointed governor in 2004.[2]

Area included in the Special Administrative Region

The order below follows the order given in the original decree (in Korean) .

Sinŭiju city (신의주시; 新義州市)

Ŭiju county (의주군; 義州郡)

Yŏmju county (염주군; 鹽州郡)

Ch'ŏlsan county (철산군; 鐵山郡)

Due to the areas included in the Special Administrative Region, it is not one single contiguous region, as to get from Sinŭiju city to Yŏmju county, one must pass through another county outside the region first.

References

  1. ↑ in 12 Sept. 2002 by the Standing Committee of Supreme People's Assembly
  2. ↑ Californian May Oversee N. Korea Economic Zone, Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2004

Coordinates: 40°06′02″N 124°23′37″E / 40.10056°N 124.39361°E / 40.10056; 124.39361

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