Wihwa Island | |
Pushpin Map: | North Korea |
Location: | Yalu River |
Coordinates: | , |
Country: | North Korea |
Country Admin Divisions Title: | County |
Country Admin Divisions: | Sindo County |
Country Admin Divisions Title 2: | Province |
Country Admin Divisions 2: | North P'yŏngan |
Ethnic Groups: | Koreans |
Wihwa Island (Korean: 위화도/威化島, Wihwado,) is a river island in the Yalu river, lying on the border between North Korea and China. It is now under the effective jurisdiction of North Korea, due to ethnic Koreans living on the island at the time of the 1962 border treaty.[1]
Wihwa Island is historically well known for being where General Yi Songgye decided, in 1392, to turn back his army southward to Kaesong in the first of a series of revolts that eventually led to the establishment of the Yi Dynasty.
In June 2011, an agreement with China was made to establish a joint free trade area on Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa Islands, and the China border area near Dandong.[2]