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| Special city | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Unitary state |
| Location | Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
| Number | 4 Special Cities |
| Populations | 205,000 (Rason) – 3,255,388 (Pyongyang) |
| Areas | 710 square miles (1,800 km2) (Rason) – 400 square miles (1,000 km2) (Pyongyang) |
| Government |
|
| Subdivisions | |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Administrative divisions of North Korea |
|---|
| Provincial level |
| Province (도道to) |
| Special municipality (특별시特別市t'ŭkpyŏlsi) |
| Municipal level |
| City (시市si) |
| County (군郡kun) |
| District (구역區域kuyŏk) |
| Submunicipal level |
| Town (읍邑ŭp) |
| Neighborhood (동洞dong) |
| Village (리里ri) |
| Workers' District (로동자구勞動者區rodongjagu) |
Special cities are one of the first-level administrative divisions withinNorth Korea. There are four special cities in North Korea.
Special cities are the higher-ranked administrative divisions in North Korea. There are three kinds of special cities in North Korea.
| Type | Chosŏn'gŭl | Hancha | McCune–Reischauer | City names | Number of cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct-administered city | 직할시 | 直轄市 | chikhalsi | Pyongyang | 1 |
| Special city | 특별시 | 特別市 | t'ŭkpyŏlsi | Rason,Nampo,Kaesong | 3 |
| Special-level city | 특급시 | 特級市 | t'ŭkkŭpsi | None | 0 |
The first level cities have equal status to theprovinces.
| Name | Chosŏn'gŭl | Hancha | Type | ISO | Population | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) | Capital | Region | Province related | Year of assignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyongyang | 평양직할시 | 平壤直轄市 | Directly administered city | KP-01 | 3,255,388 | 3,194 | 1,019 | Chung-guyok | Kwanso | South Pyongan | 1946 |
| Rason | 라선특별시 | 羅先特別市 | Special city | KP-13 | 205,000 | 746 | 275 | Rajin-guyok | Kwanbuk | North Hamgyong | 2010 |
| Nampo | 남포특별시 | 南浦特別市 | Special city | KP-?? | 366,815 | 829 | 442 | Waudo-guyok | Kwanso | South Pyongan | 2011 |
| Kaesong | 개성특별시 | 開城特別市 | Special-level city | none | 308,440 | 1,309 | 235 | Haeso | North Hwanghae | 2019 |
Note: Pyongyang is classified as a capital city (chikhalsi), not a special city as Seoul in South Korea. In fact, the North Korean national newspaper and broadcasting say "PyongyangChikhalsi". Some sources, most of them coming fromSouth Korea, refer the city as a special city; however, these are old sources. Moreover, South Korea has corrected the city as a directly governed city, according to a South Korean newspaper in 1994. The official name of Pyongyang would be "Pyongyang-si" in the Republic of Korea, which officially claims to represent the entire peninsula.
| Division name | Chosŏn'gŭl | Hancha | Province absorbed into | Administered Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chongjin | 청진시 | 淸津市 | North Hamgyong | 1960–1967, 1977–1985 |
| Hamhung | 함흥시 | 咸興市 | South Hamgyong | 1960–1967 |
