Chongjin Port Coal Terminal
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Chongjin Port Coal Terminal, also known as Cheongjin Port Coal Terminal is a coal terminal in North Korea.
Location
Chongjin Port Coal Terminal is located in Chongjin, North Hamgyong, North Korea.
Background
Chŏngjin (청진시) is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province and the country's third largest city. It is sometimes called the City of Iron. Chongjin Port is thought to be the second most economically important (after Nampo port on the west coast).[1]
In 2012, there were plans to convert Chongjin into a special economic zone (SEZ), which could be restricted to Chinese investments only.[2]
The Chongjin Port reportedly has two main harbor areas: one specializing in coal and iron ore exports and the other mainly handling imports of general and bulk cargo. The port is home to floating and multi-purpose cranes allowing for container handling.[3]
In 2015, operations at the Chongjin SEZ were expected to revolve mainly around developing metals, machinery and electronics, and manufacturing for exports using the Chongjin Port. The port was reportedly was already being utilized by China to ship coal and other goods in northeastern China to southern regions or other countries.[4]
In August 2017, the U.N. banned North Korea from trading coal.[5] The 15-member body had been unanimously boosting sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.[6]
However, coal may have been shipped from Chongjin Port after the ban to Russian ports where it was reportedly falsely labeled as Russian-origin coal.[7][8]
As of September 2026, it is estimated that North Korean ports have exported 1.5 million tonnes of coal in total, which likely includes the Chongjin Port Coal terminal.[9] The sanctions on coal from North Korea remain valid, but with the lapse in UN oversight and Russia vetoing the renewal of the independent UN panel monitoring compliance, the exports have accelerated.[10]
Project Details
- Owner: North Korean Ministry of National Defense[10] (estimate)
- Location: Chongjin, North Hamgyong, North Korea
- Coordinates: 41.7816, 129.8204 (approximate)
- Coal Capacity (Million tonnes per annum): Unknown
- Status: Operating
- Start Year: 1908[11]
- In Service:
- Type: Exports
- Source of Coal:
Articles and Resources
Sources
- ↑ "Chongjin - the city of Iron," Korea Konsult, accessed October 2021
- ↑ "Source: A Special Economic Zone For Chongjin?" NK News, June 12, 2012
- ↑ "Development of Shipping and Ports in North-East Asia," Chapter 2, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2005
- ↑ "NK Gears up for Chongjin Development," Daily NK, January 16, 2015
- ↑ "South Korea Suspects 9,000 Tons of North Korean Coal Made It Into the Country," Wall Street Journal, July 18, 2018
- ↑ "U.S. targets North Korea coal shipments with new sanctions," Reuters, December 9, 2020
- ↑ "South Korea: North Korean coal entered its ports illegally," AP News, August 10, 2018
- ↑ "North Korea Exports Coal as ‘Russian’ in Bid to Beat Sanctions," Radio Free Asia, August 7, 2018
- ↑ "North Korea coal exports hit 1.5 million tons in 2025 despite UN sanctions: lawmaker". www.koreajoongangdaily.com. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "North Korea's sanctioned coal trade rebounds as UN monitoring lapses, rights group says". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "Cheongjin Port". namu.wiki.
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