Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Yalu River |
Coordinates | 39°58′N 124°19′E / 39.96°N 124.31°E |
Area | 11.45 km2 (4.42 sq mi) |
Administration | |
Province | North P'yŏngan |
County | Sindo County |
Republic of Korea (claimed) | |
Province | North Pyeongan |
County-level division | Yongcheon |
Myeon | Sindo |
Demographics | |
Ethnic groups | Koreans |
Hwanggumpyong (Korean: 황금평, simplified Chinese: 黄金坪; traditional Chinese: 黃金坪; pinyin: Huángjīnpíng), formerly called Hwanggumpyong Island (Korean: 황금평도, simplified Chinese: 黄金坪岛; traditional Chinese: 黃金坪島; pinyin: Huángjīnpíng Dǎo), is a North Korean free-trade zone bordering China. The area used to be a tidal island in the Yalu River. However, due to continuous deposition of river-borne sediments, the northern portion of the former island is now permanently connected with the Chinese city of Dandong. A steel mesh fence has been built to mark the land border between North Korea and China.[1]
Due to ethnic Koreans living on the island at the time of a 1962 border treaty, both China and North Korea agreed that the sovereignty of the island belongs to North Korea. The former river island is now a North Korean exclave on the otherwise Chinese side of the river.[2] The agreement is not recognized by South Korea, who continues to claim this island in accordance with its constitution.