Sinŭiju

Sinŭiju, city in northwestern North Korea, capital of North P'yŏngan Province and situated on the Yalu River near its delta on the Yellow Sea. Sinŭiju became important after a bridge over the Yalu, linking the city with Dandong (Antung), China, was opened in 1910. It is today a major rail transportation center between North Korea and China. Chief industries include paper milling, alcohol distillation, soybean processing, and chemicals manufacture. In 2002 the government of North Korea established a special economic zone at Sinŭiju. The zone is to operate autonomously for a period of 50 years under its own legal and economic systems, allowing free-market principles that encourage direct foreign investment and trade. Sinŭiju developed rapidly as an industrial center after World War II (1939-1945). Although it was heavily bombed during the Korean War (1950-1953), its rail connections with China enabled postwar reconstruction. Population (1993) 326,011.