Directory_and_Chronicle_1925 — Page 626

MOKPO

浦木 Mok-po

Mokpo, which, like Chinnampo, was opened to foreign trade on the 1st October, 1897, in pursuance of a resolution of the Council of State, is a seaport in the province of Cholla and has an excellent harbour capable of providing anchorage accommodation for thirty or forty vessels of large tonnage. Cholla is a great rice-growing district and has the reputation of being the wealthiest province in the country, and Mokpo lies at the mouth of a river which drains nearly the whole province. Mokpo has undergone a great transformation since it was opened. In 1897 it consisted of a few native huts surrounded by paddy fields and mud flats. The houses now number upwards of 3,500 and the population exceeds 17,900, including 98 Chinese and 19 Europeans. A sea-wall has been built and a bund road over a mile in length has been made.

CHINNAMPO

浦南 Chin-nam-po

This port was opened to foreign trade on the 1st October, 1897, in pursuance of a resolution passed by the Council of State. The port is situated on the north bank of the Taitong inlet, about twenty miles from its mouth, in the extreme south-west of the province of Pyeng-yang. It is some forty miles distant by water from Ping-yang, the third city in the peninsula, has a population of 23,000, and is a place of considerable commercial activity. The railroad traffic between Ping-yang and Chinnampo was started in October, 1910, the distance being 35 miles. The province is rich in agricul- tural and mineral wealth, the latter being now developed by foreign enterprise.

The business of the port is increasing year by year, the rich hinterland holding out good prospects for the future. The business community is entirely composed of Japanese and Chinese. The Japanese population numbers about 7,000.

The principal articles of export are rice, beans, wheat, maize, cow-hides and timber. Of imports, cotton and silk piece goods, matches, kerosene, porcelain, iron and hardware deserve mention. The harbour of Chinnampo affords safe accom- modation for a great number of vessels of the deepest draught and the largest. tonnage.