Rangrang-guyŏk or Rangrang District is one of the 18 kuyŏk that constitute the city of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is located south of the Taedong River, and is bordered to the north by Songyo-guyok, to the east by the Ryokpo-guyok, and to the south by Chunghwa and Kangnam counties.

Rangrang-guyŏk
Kuyok of Pyongyang
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul락랑구역
 • Hanja
 • Revised RomanizationNangnang-guyeok
 • McCune–ReischauerRangrang-guyŏk
Location of Rangrang-guyok within Pyongyang
Location of Rangrang-guyok within Pyongyang
CountryNorth Korea
Direct-administered cityP'yŏngyang-Chikhalsi
Administrative divisions9 dong, 9 ri
Government
 • Representative representing the district in the Supreme People's AssemblyKim Yong-nam (since 2019)
Area
 • Total97 km2 (37 sq mi)
Population
 (2008)[1]
 • Total282,681
 • Density2,900/km2 (7,500/sq mi)

History

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The Lelang Commandery was, according to the Book of Han, composed of 27 districts and had a population of over 406,748 people. Located on the Taedong River at the approximate location of modern Pyongyang, archeological evidence suggests that the seat of the commandery had been moved to this district here after the destruction of Wanggeom-seong, the old Koguryo capital at Pyongyang and is claimed to have been original seat of the lelang commandery.[2]

During the Japanese colonial period, the area was part of Taedong County. As Pyongyang grew and annexed many former parts of Taedong County, the area was later split up Pyongyang's Dong-guyok, Kangnam-gun, and Chunghwa-gun. Rangrang-guyok was officially created as a separate district in 1959.

The district is famous for the large number of Han and Koguryo tombs which litter the area, many of which were first discovered by the Japanese in the early 1910s (see Nakrang Tombs). Japanese archaeologists Torrii Ryuzo and Imanishi Ryu, in particular, were instrumental in the tomb excavations and in identifying the Nakrang Earthen Castle in Tosong-ri as the seat of the commandery. Over 1,500 tombs in all have been located, with sixty-three alone located in just one district (Chongbaek-dong).[3] However, North Korea claims that all tombs are in fact of the Koguryo period, as it denies the existence of the Chinese settlement of Lelang, claiming it was a Koguryo city-state, and that the thousands of Chinese artifacts merely represent the burgeoning trade that the State of Nakrang had with the Han.[4]

Administrative divisions

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Rangrang-guyok is divided into nine administrative districts known as tong, as well as nine villages ("ri"). The larger five tong (Chongbaek, Chongo, Kwanmun, Nakrang, and Tongil) are further divided in two parts for administrative purposes, which Chungsong-dong is divided into three.[5]

Chosŏn'gŭl Hanja
Chŏngbaek-dong 정백동
Chŏng'o-dong 정오동
Ch'ungsŏng-dong 충성동 忠誠
Kwammun-dong 관문동 關門
Rangrang-dong 락랑동
T'ongil-dong 통일동 統一
Tongsan-dong 동산동
Tudan-dong 두단동
Wŏn'am-dong 원암동
Chungdal-ri 중단리
Kin'gol-ri 긴골리 긴골
Kŭmdae-ri 금대리
Namsa-ri 남사리
Posŏng-ri 보성리
Pyŏkchido-ri 벽지도리
Ryongho-ri 룡호리
Ryuso-ri 류소리
Songnam-ri 송남리

References

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  1. ^ North Korea: Administrative Division
  2. ^ Pai, Hyung Il (2000). Constructing Korean Origins: A critical review of archaeology, historiography, and racial myth in Korean state-forming theories. Harvard University Press. p. 160. ISBN 0-674-00244-X.
  3. ^ http://north.nricp.go.kr/nrth/kor/cul/cul_view.jsp Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine, search 정백동제62호묘
  4. ^ ROBERT WILLOUGHBY (2008). BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE NORTH KOREA, THE. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-84162-219-4. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  5. ^ "통일무지개 뉴스".

38°57′36″N 125°41′24″E / 38.96000°N 125.69000°E / 38.96000; 125.69000