Ryongyŏn

Ryongyon County 룡연군
County
Korean transcription(s)
• Hanja	龍淵郡
• McCune-Reischauer	Ryongyŏn-gun
• Revised Romanization	Yongyeon-gun
Country	North Korea
Province	South Hwanghae Province

Ryongyŏn County is a county in western South Hwanghae province, North Korea. Its Yellow Sea coast is known for its natural beauty and as an important habitat for plants and birds. Ryongyŏn was the first place in which Protestant Christianity was established in Korea, in the late 19th Century.

Ryongyŏn is a coastal county of 463 km², facing the Yellow Sea to the south and northwest. It also borders Changyon county to the northeast, and Taetan county to the east. Its territory includes several islands to the south: Wollaedo (Korean: 월내도), Ojakdo (오작도), and Yukdo (육도). Ryongyŏn is separated from the South Korean Baengnyeong Island by a strait 12 km wide, and can be clearly seen from South Korean resorts on clear days.

The Pult'a Mountains (불타산맥) run through the county from east to west. The western part of the chain projects into the Yellow Sea, forming the Ryongyŏn Peninsula, with Changsan Cape at its western end (장산곶). The territory is mainly mountainous, with beaches and some lowland to the north and south of the mountains. There are two main inlets or harbors: Monggŭmp'o (몽금포) in the north, and Kumip'o (구미포) in the south.

Two of North Korea's protected natural areas lie along the coastal strip. Changsan Cape contains a Protected Area covering 25.8 km², and another part of the cape has been established as a plant reserve. On the north side of the peninsula is Monggŭmp'o Sand Dune, a national monument of 0.1 km².

The county is divided into one ŭp and twenty ri:

The first Protestant Christian church in Korea was founded at Sorae (Korean: 소래), on the southern coast of Ryongyŏn, in 1884 - before the beginning of foreign missionary activity in Korea. The church was founded by Suh Sang-Ryun (서상륜), who had been converted to Christianity while in Manchuria.

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Wikipedia