Wonsan endured the longest siege in modern American naval history
From March 1951 until 27 July 1953, United States warships besieged and shelled the North Korean port of Wonsan without letup, the longest such siege in modern American naval history. By the time the Korean War ended the city was a vast shell. Today it is being rebuilt as a beach resort.
Geography explains the attention. Wonsan sits on the Sea of Japan at the eastern end of the Korean peninsula's neck, flanked by more than 20 small islands, and is regarded as an excellent natural harbour. Russian surveyors found it highly desirable in 1854, which is why it once carried the Russian name Port Lazarev. Japanese forces opened it as a trade port in 1880, and under Japanese rule from 1910 railways linked it to Pyongyang and Seoul, turning it into an industrial hub. In 1929 abuse of Korean workers set off a major general strike there.
People lived in the area as far back as the Neolithic, and it passed through the kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla and Goryeo, which built a fortress there in 1108. Its present political role is newer. After the peninsula was split at the 38th parallel in 1945, the traditional capitals of Kangwon province ended up in the south, so in 1946 Wonsan was moved into the northern half of the province and became its capital.
During the war, American and South Korean troops took the city on 10 October 1950, then withdrew before a Chinese counterattack; Chinese forces controlled it by 9 December. The bombardment that followed left almost nothing standing.
Kim Jong Un, who spent his childhood years in Wonsan and keeps a private compound there with a palace, beach and racehorse track, has made the area a showcase. A special tourist zone announced in 2014 is meant to cover more than 400 square kilometres, taking in 10 sand beaches and four mineral springs, and the Masikryong Ski Resort opened nearby in 2016. Songdowon beach, known for its clear water, takes its name from pines that look like waves when seen from above. A ferry to Niigata, once the only direct link between Japan and North Korea, stopped in 2006.
Source: Wonsan
