South Hwanghae Province

South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo) is a province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is Haeju.

Geography

The province is part of the Haeso region, and is bounded on the west by the Yellow Sea, on the north and east by North Hwanghae province. There are some administrative exclaves of Nampo City in the north of the province. The southern border of the province is marked by the Korean Demilitarized Zone with South Korea. The province draws its name from what were the largest cities in Hwanghae, Haeju and Hwangju; the name, which literally means "Yellow Sea" in Korean, also references the Yellow Sea, which forms the province's eastern bound.

The coastline of South Hwanghae is dotted by many small islands, many of which are uninhabited. Many of the largest islands, such as Baengnyeong-do are administered by South Korea. The Northern Limit Line, which runs through the region and demarcates a disputed maritime boundary between the north and south, is another frequent subject of contention between the two countries. The largest islands which indisputably belong to North Korea are Kirin-do, Changrin-do, and Sunwi-do.

Hwanghae Province

Hwanghae (Hwanghae-do [hwaŋhɛ do]) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo ((Korean)).

History

In 1395, the province was organized as P'unghae (P'unghae-do; 풍해도; 豊海道). In 1417, the province was renamed Hwanghae. The name derived from the names of the two principal cities of Hwangju (황주; 黃州) and Haeju (해주; 海州).

In 1895, the province was reorganized into the Districts of Haeju (Haeju-bu; 해주부; 海州府) in the west and Gaeseong (Gaeseong-bu; 개성부; 開城府) in the east, but in 1896, a new system of thirteen provinces was established, and Hwanghae Province was reconstituted.

In 1945, Korea was divided into Soviet and American zones of occupation, north and south respectively of the 38th parallel. The southernmost part of Hwanghae (around the towns of Ongjin and Yonan County) was cut off from the rest of the province by the dividing line and joined Gyeonggi Province in the southern half of the country. In 1948, Hwanghae and Gyeonggi Provinces became parts of the new countries of North and South Korea respectively.

Hwanghae Province (Republic of Korea)

"Hwanghae Province" or "Hwanghae-do" (Korean pronunciation: [hwaŋ.hɛ.do]) is, according to South Korean law, a province of the Republic of Korea, as the South Korean government formally claims to be the legitimate government of whole of Korea. In reality, the area constituting the province is under the effective jurisdiction of North Korea.

As South Korea does not recognize changes in administrative divisions made by North Korea, official maps of the South Korean government shows Hwanghae Province in its pre-1945 borders. The area corresponds to North Korea's North Hwanghae Province (except Kaesong which is claimed to be part of Gyeonggi Province) and South Hwanghae Province.

To symbolize its claims, the South Korean government established The Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces as an administrative body for the five northern provinces. A governor for Hwanghae Province is appointed by the President of South Korea.

Administrative divisions