Wonsan

 city, seaport

(원산시/ 元山市)
City of Wonsan, Kangwon Province, North Korea.
The city of Wonsan is the largest city and capital of Kangwon Province, and serves as the country's major eastern port. Its population is approximated at 331, 000 (2000). Wonsan opened as a trade port in 1880, and with the contruction of the Pyongwon and Kyongwon rail lines, which linked the city to Pyongyang and Kyongsong (Seoul), the city gradually became a major distribution center. During the Japanese Occupation, the city was heavily industrialized, and handled a good deal of the traffic to and from mainland Japan. During the Korean War the city was completely leveled by US air strikes; according to the official US naval history, the bombardment of Wonsan from 1951-53 was the longest single seige in modern US naval history. By the end of the war the city was a shell, though it was rapidly rebuilt afterwards.
Today, Wonsan serves as a major port, as well as a tourist hub for reaching Kumgangsan. The nearby Songdowon beach and Sogwang and Anbyon Pohyon Temples are other points of interest.