Hwanggumpyong Island

Hwanggumpyong

Geography
Location	Yalu River
Coordinates
Area	11.45 km2 (4.42 sq mi)
Administration
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
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.

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. The agreement is not recognized by South Korea, who continues to claim this island in accordance with its constitution.

History

In June 2011, an agreement, negotiated by Gao Jingde, of Sunbase International Holdings Ltd, with China was made to establish a joint free-trade area on Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa Islands, as well as the Chinese border area near Dandong. By 2013, the site had been prepared, and a free-trade area of over 300 acres (120 ha) may be ready for operation in about two years.