Samjiyon (Korean: 삼지연군, 三池淵郡) is a county in the northeast of Yanggan Province, North Korea. In the east it borders with Taeongang County, in the south – with Pocheon County, in the north and west, through the Paektusan Volcano and the Tumengang River, borders with Jilin Province, China. The county occupies 9.49% of the territory of the province of Yanggando – 1326.14 km². Administratively, the county is divided into 1 county town and 10 workers’ settlements. The county seat is the county town of Samjiyon.

History
In 1961, the workers’ district of Imyeongsu and the village of Pothaeri in Pocheon County, Yanggang Province, and the workers’ towns of Sindeok, Kadong, Sinheung, Samsan, and Noeun in Yongsa County, Pyonganbuk-do Province, were merged into a new county – Samjiyon, named after Samjiyon Lake located on its territory. The county town of Samjiyon was formed from part of the working settlement of Imensu.

Geography
The relief of most of the county is made up of the Paektu mountain range, which connects the Paektusan volcano and the Bukpodaesan mountain. In the northeast there is the Somusan-Mubon Plateau, in the southwest there is the Sobeksan-Potkhe Plateau, the slope of which is 4-6°. Slopes less than 15° occupy 79% of the county. The average height of the relief is 1300 m, the highest point is the Changgunbong Peak on the Paektusan volcano (2750 m), the lowest point is the bottom of the Amnokkang River within the working village of Tongnam (800 m).
The main bedrock is an igneous volcanic rock of the Cenozoic era; Lower Proterozoic granite is also common southeast of Mount Manpothaesan. The soils of most of the county consist of distributed layers of pumice formed as a result of the volcanic activity of Paektusan, mountain-meadow alpine soils are partially common.
Samjiyon County as a whole is one of the coldest areas in North Korea. The average annual temperature in the county is −0.6°C, the average temperature in January is −19.8°C, and the average temperature in July is 16.4°C. The longest season is winter, the shortest is autumn. The average annual rainfall is 800 mm. The south and southwest winds prevail, the average annual wind speed is 2.3 m/s. There are many days of storm winds or fogs, there are multiple sharp weather changes in a day.

In the west of the county, the Amnokkang River flows with tributaries of Sobaeksu, Imensu, Potaecheon and Poseocheon, in the northeast – Tumangan with tributaries Seogulcheon and Seohondangsu. The rivers in the Amnokkan basin flow in a southwestern direction, in the Tumangan basin they flow in a northeastern direction. Rivers are rich sources of clear, cold water. The water of Samjiyon County is suitable for use in various sectors of the economy, the amount of water used is 12%, of which 90% is used in industry.
The county is partly home to Cheongji Crater Lake on Baekdusan Volcano, Samjiyon Lake, and more than 30 large and small natural lakes. The area of ​​forests makes up 95% of the territory of the county, mainly Olginskaya larch, white fir, Ayan spruce and flat-leaved birch are common. The forests in the vicinity of the Places of Revolutionary and Military Glory are under the jurisdiction of the Forest Protection Department of the Places of Revolutionary and Military Glory and the Special Department for the Protection of Forests of the Places of Revolutionary and Military Glory near Baektusan. Olginskaya larch makes up more than 60% of all forest resources of the county. There are many wild-growing plants, including medicinal astragalus membranosus, small-haired bellflower, Chinese magnolia vine, as well as bracken, Japanese purest, codonopsis lanceolate. Samjiyon County is North Korea’s largest blueberry granary. In the forests of the county there are tiger, bear, deer, Siberian roe deer, musk deer.

Economy
In the economy of Samjiyom county, the forestry industry occupies the first place. The Imyeongsu Forestry Administration accounts for a significant share of the DPRK’s forestry development. Logging is carried out using modern mechanical means, including winches. Forestry and agriculture, as well as the transport industry, are served by the Repair and Mechanical Plant. From a large number of wood-based panels, recycled sawdust and wood chips, the Plant of Essential Wooden Items and the Uyezd Furniture Plant produce cabinets, closets, sideboards, tables, chairs, and plywood. The December 13 Souvenir Factory produces souvenirs for the “scouts” of the Places of Revolutionary and Military Glory.
The county is also home to Food Processing Plants producing soy sauce, doenjang, toffee, confectionery, candy, and county-specific products such as blueberries, which are the main raw material, jelly, and reindeer moss. Bricks are produced from pumice reserves in the county, rhyolite river sand and basalt sand mined in the workers’ settlement of Sinmunson are widely used for the production of plaster mortars. Agricultural land makes up about 3% of the county’s territory, 98% of which is distributed among the working settlements of Pothe, Hyngye, Chungheung, Poso, Tongnam, and other territories. On the fields of most agricultural land, wheat, barley, purple beans, potatoes, etc. are grown.
A large share of the economy falls on the sowing and harvesting of wheat. Cattle, pigs, chickens, goats, sheep and other domestic animals are bred. Especially a lot of cattle are bred in the working settlement of Pot-he.

Transport
The Samjiyonson railway line passes through the county with Motka, Samjiyon, Pegaebong, Gongchang, Imyeonsu, Yeonsu, Sampo, Dongsan, Chagasu, Nonsan stations.
The Sinuiju-Uam highway passes through the county, there are Phothee-Imyeonsu, Samjiyon-Imyeonsu, Paektusan-Gangsambong highways, and the Samjiyon-Imyeonsu-Paektu secret camp-Cheongji Lake-Samjiyon tourist route has been opened for trips to the places of revolutionary and military glory. The distance from the village of Samjiyon to the provincial capital of Yanggando, the city of Hyesan, is 89 km.

Cultural building
Samjiyon county has a forestry vocational school, 13 secondary schools, 17 elementary schools, 5 culture houses, a schoolchildren’s palace, several libraries, a gym, Samjiyon winter stadium, Samjiyon ski resort, and other educational, cultural and sports institutions.
Also in the county there are 7 tourist bases, canteens, halls, recreation centers. In addition, the county has a People’s Hospital equipped with modern medical equipment, a Korean medicine center, a nursing home, a sanitary and epidemiological station, a drug supply center, and other health care institutions. The county is home to the picturesque Baekdusan Volcano and Samjiyon Lake.
On the territory of the working settlements of Paektusan-Miryong and Sinmuson, there is a special reserve “Place of revolutionary and military glory near Paektusan”, in the working settlement of Mubon there is the largest Mubon Biosphere Reserve in North Korea.