Ryongchon

For other similarly named places in North and South Korea, see Yongchon. Ryongchon Chosŏn'gŭl룡천군 / 용천군 Hancha龍川郡 McCune-ReischauerRyongch'ŏn kun / Yongch'ŏn kun Revised RomanizationRyongcheon-gun / Yongcheon-gun

Ryongch'ŏn is a kun (county) in North P'yǒngan Province, North Korea, at the mouth of the Yalu River. The county seat is Ryongchŏn-ŭp, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border with China. The P'yŏngŭi railway line between China and P'yŏngyang runs through Ryongchŏn. It is the busiest line in the country, crossing the border in nearby Sinŭiju, North Korea and Dandong, China. The area has a reported population of 27,000 and is a center of chemical and metalworking production.

On April 22, 2004, the town was hit by a major disaster when a flammable cargo exploded at the town's railway station, causing widespread death and destruction, known as the Ryongchŏn Disaster.