Hyesan

Hyesan is a city in the northern part of Ryanggang Province in North Korea, and it serves as the provincial administrative centre. It sits on the Yalu River opposite the Chinese city of Changbai in Jilin province, south of the Paektu Mountains, and acts as a hub of river transportation and product distribution. The source gives its population as 192,680 in 2008. The modern city grew from the Joseon military fortress and settlement of Hyesanjin, whose permanent garrison was established in the 1430s; before that the area was a village under Goguryeo and Balhae and was taken by Jurchen tribes after 982. It is in one of the coldest parts of Korea, with a humid continental climate classed Dwb. Local industry has included lumber, paper and textile mills and the Hyesan copper mine, and for decades it has been a notable border crossing point between North Korea and China.