Hyesan 혜산
—  Municipal City  —
혜산시
Korean transcription(s)
• Chosongul	혜산시
• Hancha	惠山市
• McCune-Reischauer	Hyesan-si
• Revised Romanization	Hyesan-si
Hyesan
Coordinates: 41°24′N 128°11′E / 41.4°N 128.183°E / 41.4; 128.183
Country	North Korea
Region
Area
• Total	277 km2 (107 sq mi)
Population (2008)
• Total	192,680

Hyesan is a city in the northern part of the northern Ryanggang province of North Korea. It is a hub of river transportation as well as a product distribution centre. It is also the administrative centre of Ryanggang Province. As of 2000, the population of the city is estimated to be 110,000.

Geography[link]

The city is located in the Paektu Mountains at the border with the People's Republic of China (Jilin province), from which it is separated by the Yalu (Amnok) River. Changbai is the closest Chinese city across the river.

It is located in the coldest area of Korea, and recorded a record low temperature of -42 ℃ (-44 ℉) in 1915.

Economy[link]

Hyesan has lumber processing mills, paper mills and textile mills. Since the North Korean economic crisis that intensified in the mid-1990s the city has suffered from economic stagnation and some factories in the city are closed. Reports and pictures taken from the Chinese side of the river show a "Ghost City": there is almost no movement in the streets and in the night the city is dark and doesn't have electricity. Residents of the city reputedly wash their clothes in the river because homes have no running water.

First explored in the 1960s, Hyesan Mine produces 10,000 tons of copper concentrates annually, which is 80% of all North Korean copper, and the North had estimated that it will be able to continue mining copper there for the next forty years. When Gapsan Dongjum Mine, explored during the Japanese colonial period, was finally depleted and closed in 1990, Hyesan Mine became the lifeline of the nation’s copper production. At that time, the mine flooded because the pumping device stopped operating due to the lack of electricity across the country. Although the workers at the mine did their best to pump the water, they could not stop the water flowing into the mine at a speed of 480㎥/hour. In 1996, during the North's 'Arduous March', electricity was not provided to the mine, leading to flooding in the mineshafts in January 1997. Hyesan Mine flooded again, as did other mines throughout the country, and lost all mining facilities. Since 1998, Kim Jong Il budgeted 8.2 million USD to dewater the mine, and the mine was recovered using electricity and equipment provided by China.

Transportation[link]

Hyesan is connected to other cities in North Korea by road and railway.

Education[link]

Schools in Hyesan include Hyesan High School and Hyesan Girl's School. Higher education institutions include the Hyesan Мedical University, the Hyesan University of Agriculture and Forestry, Kim Jong Suk College of Education, the Hyesan College of Light Engineering, and the Hyesan University of Industry.

The countryside near Hyesan has various attractions, including the Kwaegung Pavilion, Naegok Hot Spring and Mount Baekdu.

See also[link]

• List of cities in North Korea
• Administrative divisions of North Korea

External links[link]

• North Korea Uncovered, (North Korea Google Earth) see most of Hyesan's political and industrial infrastructure on Google Earth.
• Maps and satellite images of Hyesan Airfield

v t e Ryanggang Capital Hyesan Cities Hyesan Counties Kapsan Kimjŏngsuk Kimhyŏnggwŏn Kimhyŏngjik Paegam Poch'ŏn P'ungsŏ Samjiyŏn Samsu Taehongdan Unhŭng

Coordinates: 41°24′N 128°11′E / 41.4°N 128.183°E / 41.4; 128.183

Ku Hye Sun
Born	(1984-11-09) November 9, 1984 (age 27) Incheon, South Korea[1]
Other names	Goo Hye Sun Koo Hye Seon
Education	Sungkyunkwan University (2011–)[1][2][3] Seoul Institute of the Arts (withdrew)
Occupation	Actress, Director, Screenwriter, Artist, Singer, Composer, Author
Agent	YG Entertainment
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Website
kuhyesun.com

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Ku Hye Sun (Korean: 구혜선, born November 9, 1984) is a South Korean actress, singer, author and director. An admirer of Leonardo Da Vinci,^[4] Ku also dabbles in directing, writing, illustrating, singing and composing. She is best known for her role as Geum Jan Di in the hit TV show Boys Over Flowers.

Career[link]

Ku entered the entertainment industry after gaining popularity on the internet as an ulzzang. She began her acting career in one-act dramas and the sitcom Nonstop 5. She was also co-MC with Heechul of Super Junior on SBS's weekly live music show Inkigayo from April 23, 2006 to February 18, 2007.

Ku soon rose to fame in the drama Pure in Heart and surprised critics with her performance in the historical drama The King and I. She is most well known for portraying Geum Jan-di in the hit KBS drama Boys Over Flowers. After a year in limbo with no broadcasting slot,^[5][6] her pre-produced drama The Musical finally aired in September 2011.^[7][8][9] Ku next starred as a female pilot in the SBS series Take Care of Us, Captain,^[10][11][12] followed by the Taiwanese drama adaptation of the manga Absolute Boyfriend.^[13][14]

Originally set to debut as a singer (supposedly in a 3-member girl group with 2NE1's Park Bom and Sandara Park), YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-seok advised Ku to pursue acting rather than music. In recent years, she has displayed her vocal talents through Saranga (which became the title song of Pure in Heart), a cover of Shim Soo-bong's I Don't Know Anything But Love (which played during a crucial scene in Boys Over Flowers), and a duet of Kim Gun Mo's song Rain Falls on a Sleepless Night with Big Bang member Seungri on the music talk show Lee Hana's Peppermint. Ku has also composed an album of New Age music titled Breath.

Ku wrote Tango, a semi-autobiographical novel about a twenty-something woman's experience with love and relationships. The book was a bestseller, selling 30,000 copies within a week. Its release coincided with her first solo art exhibition, also titled Tango, in July 2009 at La Mer Gallery, which attracted 10,000 visitors. The exhibition featured around 40 of Ku's illustrations, some from her novel.^[15][16][17] She has also done artwork for Gummy's fourth album Comfort.

Ku made her official debut as a director through her short film The Madonna (Korean title translates to The Cheerful Caretaker) at the 2009 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.^[18][19][20] In 2010 she wrote and directed her first feature-length film Magic,^[21] followed by more short films and trailers.

In 2011 Ku established her own company, Ku Hye-sun Film, under which she will produce and film her projects, which offers her a measure of legal/business protection.^[22] Her second directorial feature The Peach Tree was the first film made by her newly established production company.^[23][24][25] She said of directing, "It’s tiring and grueling. At times you ask yourself, 'Why am I doing this?' But movies have the ability to make you feel alive."^[26]

Filmography[link]

As Actress[link]

As Director[link]

Books[link]

• Tango (novel, 2009)^[32]

Discography[link]

• Ku Hye-sun's Sketchbook - Breath (album, 2009, YG Entertainment/Mnet Media)^[33]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Official Twitter Account
• Mini-Homepage at Cyworld
• Me2day Account
• Hye-sun Koo at the Internet Movie Database