Rajin-guyok

Rajin is a municipality of the city of Rason in North Korea with 66 224 inhabitants ( 2005). The municipality is located in the northeast of the Asian country on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, only about 20 kilometers from the Russian border. He formed the administrative center and was the largest city of the administrative unit formed in 1993 Rajin - Sonbong, the renamed Rason and 2004 even been to the city.

History and Significance

Rason, whose name is composed of " Rajin " and " Sonbong ", until 2004 was administratively a "city under central government administration " (as the capital Pyongyang ), but figured no coherent urban area, but was - with its fairly low population density and dominated by agricultural land - rather with a small provincial comparable.

Rajin is both agricultural and industrial center and port. The municipality is the focus of a 1991 set up free trade zone. Because of its geographical proximity to the People's Republic of China the port of Rajin is a major container terminal. The Docks 3 and 4 are operated by China and were leased for 50 years. After North Korea's information can be handled simultaneously eight ships of 10,000 tons displacement and an additional five ships with 5000 tons displacement. However, it is at the transhipped goods mostly Chinese imports and exports and less about North Korean trade.

The last major Russian investment in North Korea regards the railway line from Russia in the ice-free port of Rajin. The railway line Khasan - Rajin connects the port of Rajin to the riverside Tumen Khasan; the river forms the border with Russian Siberia. Since the end of 2013, the railway line is renewed. Both Russian broad gauge and standard gauge trains Korean access to the port of Rajin, plus the tracks have four rails.