The Great Songwon Mystery

I have a page of "mysteries" for the #AccessDPRK Mapping Project. They're sites that I either don't know what they are, can't firmly identify, or would like more specific information on (like different palaces). One of those sites is in North Pyongan Province and it has a tunnel, water running out of it, and an electrical substation. Obviously it's a hydroelectric plant, right?

The problem is that there isn't a dam or reservoir nearby, neither is there a gravity-pump setup. So where's the water coming from?

I sat with this little mystery for a few years because there was no obvious source of water. Could it be some secret underground facility and the "stream" coming out of it is just drainage? North Korea does have plenty of those, but then other aspects of the site didn't really make sense for it to be an underground military base or factory. So, as I said, I sat with the mystery.

I was recently researching some of the country's large dams and came to Songwon Dam in Chagang Province, about 42 km away from the first site. Every source that mentioned Songwon said that it was a hydroelectric dam. There's one problem with that. Songwon doesn't have a hydroelectric generator, not even one downriver like many other hydroelectric sites do. Now I'm sitting here with a hydroelectric dam with no generator in one province and an apparent generating site with no dam in another province.

The next step was finding out that the apparent mines in the area form a lovely 42km-long straight line from Songwon directly to the mystery site. In fact, they're not mines at all, but the excavated debris from one heck of a tunneling project - a tunnel that takes water from the Songwon reservoir and to the hydroelectric generating site. Thus, Songwon is a hydroelectric dam. It just makes its electricity in the neighboring province. Songwon was completed in 1987 and Landsat/Copernicus satellite imagery also shows construction work happening at the "mystery site" in 1987, too, further verifying their connection. A happy little mystery is now solved.

It seems like North Korea isn't done creating these huge tunnel systems. There's the newly finished Wonsan People's-Army Power Station in Kangwon Province. It, too, has a tunnel taking water from the reservoir to a generating station that, in this case, is 28 km away.

Having the generating site farther away from the dam means that you can get a greater change in elevation which will increase the water's speed as it moves downhill. The faster water moves the more momentum it has, and that means it can turn turbines faster, generating more electricity. If a dam is 200 feet above sea level, you'll get a lot more electricity generated if you have the generating station at 30 feet above sea level vs. at 150 feet by making that water drop 170 feet instead of just 50.

The Wonsan dam is at 1,800 feet and the first generating station (there's two) is at about 680 feet, a massive drop. However, they could have achieved the same amount of elevation drop using a tunnel 10 km shorter if they went toward a different direction. The same is true of Songwon. From the intake site to the generating station there's a ~560 foot drop...spread out over 42 km! In the case of Songwon, that elevation drop could have been accomplished by placing the generating station 25 km downriver.
However, the tunnel would not have been able to be in a straight line, making construction more difficult. It appears that the Wonsan tunnel could have been in a straight line to reach the shorter distance, so I don't know why they opted for the longer journey instead.

The next image is a picture of an intake tower with a similar layout as the one at Songwon. The "window" on the tower is to let air in to prevent a vacuum from forming and damaging the system.

Water intake tower at the old Desna Dam, Czechia. Source: Wikimedia.

The last thing I'll say about Songwon is that even though the reservoir is massive (it covers 18.3 square km and has a capacity of 3.2 billion cubic feet of water according to the FAO), the amount of water coming out of the generating station is very small. The size of the electrical substation is also rather tiny compared to the ones at other large dams. This is because the water intake point is actually at the surface level of the reservoir. If the reservoir is even slightly low, water wont flow into the tunnel to turn the generator. This means that despite the enormous effort North Korea put into constructing everything, it doesn't seem to be generating much electricity in return. Of course, North Korea isn't exactly known for their efficiencies - be it efficiencies in design, labor, or cost, the regime really seems to like expending huge effort for little gain.

I want to give a quick shout out to my Patreon supporters: Kbechs87, GreatPoppo, and Planefag.


--Jacob Bogle 9/15/2019
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Kaechon Hydroelectric Dam Under Construction

North Korea has struggled to solve its electricity problems for decades, particularly since the country lacks native supplies of heavy fuel oil. The handful of coal fueled power plants strain to supply large cities and industry and blackouts are common, even in the capital. North Korea does have a fairly abundant renewable resource, and that's water. Despite suffering from major floods and the occasional drought, the country does seem to be betting on (at least in part) hydroelectric power - which has the added benefit of flood control.

Over the past 10 years, dozens of large and small hydroelectric projects have been initiated. One can find small "micro" hydroelectric generating stations that are meant only to feed a village or factory scattered all over the country, and then there are the large-scale projects, like Huichon, that's expected to keep Pyongyang in lights.

There are also medium-scale hydroelectric projects being built. One such dam is located near Kaechon in South Pyongyan province (although it's across the border in North Pyongan). It is located less than 2 miles from Kaechon Airbase and 9 miles east of the Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor site.

Construction likely began around the end of 2013, although the earliest imagery available is April 2014. Based on the image below, the plant will have 3 electric generators.

--Jacob Bogle, 8/15/15

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North Korean Mining

Updated Version - May 6, 2016

(Partial map of mines)

North Korea is surprisingly rich in minerals and coal. Mined materials makes up the bulk of trading, and according to various estimates the treasures underneath the ground are worth upwards of $10 trillion (250 times larger than their current GDP).

There are two types of mine, the large industrial scale mines (like that at the Geomdeok zinc mine and the Musan iron mine) and then there are the countless smaller mines throughout the country, mostly coal mines, which are largely dug by hand. Due to equipment failures, flooding, lack of spare parts etc. most mines operate far under capacity. Regardless of the difficulties, mining is one of the major economic sources for the country.

Here is an example of large-scale mining. Located north of Pyongyang, near the city of Sunchon in South Pyongan Province. This image covers an area 17 miles wide and includes multiple mining complexes.

Here is a close-up of one of the secondary mines in this complex

This is one of the larger mines in the area, unlike all the others this one is primarily mining minerals for cement. There are smaller coals mines here as well.

This is a large cement factory.

As with many large-scale industrial regions, military security is always tight. Pukchang Airbase is nearby.

Complete with fighter jets and underground hangers.

As I said, most mines are not massive, they're not mining with million dollar machines or explosives, they're mined by human strength alone, often with hand-fashioned tools. In the Songbun class system, those in the lowest class or "wavering class" are often assigned the most difficult and dangerous jobs: mining, farming, construction etc. North Korea has one of the worst human-rights records in history, possibly coming in at number one (even over Nazi Germany) when you look at the entire population. Worker's rights aren't really given much thought when it comes to the lower classes (despite the socialist mantras). Uranium miners for example have a high risk of developing cancers and severe birth defects. Coal miners will suffer from respiratory disease and skeletal problems after years of squatting in small, hand-dug, tunnels and moving tons of rock and coal.

From 2006 to 2010 coal mining has risen sharply from 23 million tons in 2006 to 41 million tons in 2010. This is in response to the energy crisis facing the country and the need to increase trade to places like China, which is the North's leading trading partner receiving 67% of North Korea's exports.

Here some examples of the more typical small mines.

And finally, this is a mine I found near Yongyon-ni in North Pyongan Province. It shows a side-by-side of the mine in 2006 and in 2010 which shows increased activity. Although the mine is relatively small, in my mind it underscores the country's attempts to secure the nation's energy supply (even if they're not succeeding), an energy supply which is notoriously lacking.

UPDATE

As I stated earlier, human life isn't the most important thing when it comes to the North Korean government. The country's mining operations continue to grow, and with it, so do the problems.

You can see small collapsed areas at many of the countries coal mines. With antiquated technology and safety taking a back seat, tunnel collapses are common. Miners are forced to work long hours and that contributes to accidents. Another side of all of this is the fact that mining plays a key role in the country's prison camp and "re-education" system, the workers are then subjected to incredibly cruel conditions. Additionally, many mining towns have a greater internal security apparatus to ensure the "free people" of North Korea stay inside the mining zone. Check points and road blocks are often added to the usual round of domestic spying and movement controls. This means that residents can neither flee nor demand better conditions.

While continuing my mapping project, I came across a coal mine in the Pyongyang region (approx. 22 miles/35km east of downtown) that got my attention. In 2015, I documented a kilometer wide landslide in a rural area near Mt. Chilbo National Park. But that was just a natural event after a storm. This new discovery on the other hand, really makes me worried.

The mine, located at 39° 2'39.39"N 126°10'4.89"E, has multiple tunnels that seem to have completely undercut the natural ability of the mountain to support itself. The summit has an elevation (according to Google) of 1,000 feet (305 m), the main part of the mine is located at the southern flank; its summit rises some 350 feet (107 m) above the bulk of the tunnels.

Over the course of 10 years, you can see a dramatic change in the mine.

This first image is from Nov. 16, 2005.

This next image is dated Sept. 5, 2015 and shows some drastic changes. The larger pieces have surface areas as large as 5,000 square feet (464 sq. m) and even 12,000 sq. ft. (1,114 sq. m).

Based on the rate of change, without drastic intervention it is highly likely that there will be a major collapse/landslide that could kill hundreds of people in just a few years. Within the valley beneath this mine lies the city's downtown core and the only road and rail link connecting the city to the rest of the area. A heavy rain could one day unleash hundreds of thousands of tons of rock and earth onto those living below.

Additional reading

1. The Mining Industry of North Korea

2. More on Songbun


--Jacob Bogle, 6/18/13 (updated 5/6/16)
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