Is Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, a special city or an extraordinary city under the direct control of the central government? "An Outline of North Korea," published by the Ministry of Unification describes Pyongyang as "a special city." The National Intelligence Service homepage (www.nis.go.kr), describing the administrative units of the North, explains that North Korea "... following a series of administrative-unit revamping, consists of Pyongyang as a special city, Nampo and Kaesong as special cities under the direct control of the central government, 9 provinces, 39 districts, 147 counties..." However these descriptions don't accord with North Korean texts.

Volume 20 of the "Grand North Korea Encyclopedia," published last year by the Pyongyang-based Encyclopedia Press Group, says, "... special cities in our country placed under the direct control of the central government are Pyongyang, Kaesong and Rason." Rason has reportedly been downgraded to an ordinary city since the encyclopedia was published.

“Our Country's Geography and Customs," put out in 1991 by the Kumsong Youth Publishing House in Pyongyang, discloses that the administrative area of Pyongyang has changed about a dozen times since liberation in 1945. It notes that, "Being revamped into a special city in September 1946, Pyongyang was separated from South Pyongan province and became a special city under the direct control of the central government." The special city referred to appears to mean not a special city in the sense of an administrative unit, but "an extraordinary city differentiated from other cities." "The Tourist Guide to Korea," published in the same year by the Foreign Language Press Group, says, "The northern half of the Republic has 9 provinces and three special cities under the direct control of the central government... The three directly controled cities are Kaesong and Nampo as well as the capital city of Pyongyang."

Other pictorials and publications available from the North all describe Pyongyang as a directly controlled city: No North Korean publications mention the capital city as "a special city."

As a matter of fact, no administrative unit dubbed a special city exists in North Korea. In the extensive administrative unit reform executed in December 1952 in which myons or townships were abolished, North Korea created the three-stage administrative system, consisting of provinces (or special cities under the direct control of the central government), cities (or districts) or counties, and ri, or dong (both village), towns and laborers' districts. The three-stage administrative system has remained intact since.

Beijing, the capital city of China, which is comparable in several aspects with North Korea, is also a special city under the direct control of the central government. Carrying the identical status are Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongging.

(Kim Kwang In, kki@chosun.com )