Imjin River

---

title: "Imjin River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-south-korea", "rivers-of-north-korea", "international-rivers-of-asia", "north-korea–south-korea-border", "biosphere-reserves-of-south-korea"] description: "River in North and South Korea" topic_path: "geography/south-korea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imjin_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in North and South Korea ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	Imjin
native_name	ko
image	Korea-Imjin River-01.jpg
image_caption	Bridge of Freedom crossing the Imjin. Located in Munsan, Paju, South Korea.
mapframe	yes
mapframe-zoom	7
subdivision_type1	Country
subdivision_name1	North Korea (PRK), South Korea (ROK)
subdivision_type2	Provinces
subdivision_name2	Kangwon (PRK), North Hwanghae (PRK), Gyeonggi (ROK)
length_km	273.50
length_ref	{{cite web
url	http://rhms.river.go.kr/WebForms/sub_03/Books/한국하천일람(2012.12.31기준).pdf
script-title	ko:2013년 한국하천일람
publisher	Han River Flood Control Office, Republic of Korea
pages	112–113
date	31 December 2012
trans-title	List of Rivers of South Korea, 2013
access-date	2 July 2014
language	ko
url-status	dead
archive-url	https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093159/http://rhms.river.go.kr/WebForms/sub_03/Books/%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%ED%95%98%EC%B2%9C%EC%9D%BC%EB%9E%8C%282012.12.31%EA%B8%B0%EC%A4%80%29.pdf
archive-date	4 March 2016
source1	Turyu Mountain
source1_location	Poptong, Kangwon Province, North Korea
mouth	Han River
mouth_location	Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
basin_size_km2	8138.90
basin_size_ref
::

| name = Imjin | native_name =ko | name_etymology = | image = Korea-Imjin River-01.jpg | image_caption = Bridge of Freedom crossing the Imjin. Located in Munsan, Paju, South Korea. | pushpin_map_caption = | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 7 | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = North Korea (PRK), South Korea (ROK) | subdivision_type2 = Provinces | subdivision_name2 = Kangwon (PRK), North Hwanghae (PRK), Gyeonggi (ROK) | subdivision_name5 = | length_km = 273.50 | length_ref = {{cite web |url = http://rhms.river.go.kr/WebForms/sub_03/Books/한국하천일람(2012.12.31기준).pdf |script-title = ko:2013년 한국하천일람 |publisher = Han River Flood Control Office, Republic of Korea |pages = 112–113 |date = 31 December 2012 |trans-title=List of Rivers of South Korea, 2013 |access-date = 2 July 2014 |language = ko |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093159/http://rhms.river.go.kr/WebForms/sub_03/Books/%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%ED%95%98%EC%B2%9C%EC%9D%BC%EB%9E%8C%282012.12.31%EA%B8%B0%EC%A4%80%29.pdf |archive-date = 4 March 2016 | discharge1_max = | source1 = Turyu Mountain | source1_location = Poptong, Kangwon Province, North Korea | mouth = Han River | mouth_location = Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea | basin_size_km2 = 8138.90 | basin_size_ref = | extra = |title=South Korean name |hangul=^임진강 |hanja =臨津江 |othername1=North Korean name |hangul1=^림진강 |hanja1 =臨津江

The Imjin River (; South Korean spelling) or Rimjin (; North Korean spelling) is the seventh-largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea.

The river is not the namesake of the Imjin War (Japanese invasions in the late 16th century).

History

Imjin River was the site of two major battles: the Battle of Imjin River during the Imjin war in 1592, and the Battle of the Imjin River that took place during the Korean War.

Joint Use Zone

On November 4, 2018, a 20-member team consisting of 10 people from North Korea and 10 people from South Korea began a joint inter-Korean survey intended to lead to the development a Joint Utilization Zone along Imjin River's estuary. The Zone would allow civilians to access the estuary for tourism, ecological protection and the collection of construction aggregate under the protection of militaries from both sides of the Korean border. The inter-Korean survey of Imjin River's estuary was completed on December 9, 2018. The new map of the river's estuary, which consists of newly discovered reefs, was to be made public by January 25, 2019.

Characteristics

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Imjin_river_1889.jpeg" caption="Ferry across Imjin River in 1889"] ::

The active channel of Imjin River uses only about 150 to 200 feet of the 1200 ft width of the dry riverbed that it runs through, which is bordered by almost vertical rock cliffs standing approximately 75 ft above the mean low water level. It gives no indication in normal times of the tremendous power it develops when in flood. During the Korean rainy season of July and August, the Imjin becomes a raging torrent, largely confined by its steep rocky banks. Fed by its larger tributaries and many small mountain streams, it reaches flood heights of 48 ft above mean water level and a velocity of 15 to 20 ft/s. The rapid runoff of approximately 95 percent of precipitation during heavy general rains has caused Imjin, on occasion, to rise at a rate of more than six feet per hour.

During the severe Korean winter, icy winds sweep down the Imjin; the sub-zero temperatures cause thick ice to form on the river. Fluctuations in the level of the river, particularly tidal action in the lower reaches, break up this ice, and large amounts of floe ice pile up against any obstacle in the channel.

Many in South Korea nickname Imjin as the "River of the Dead" as in the past, large numbers of dead bodies have floated down the river from the North. The most recent occurrence was during the major famine of the 1990s when millions of North Koreans are believed to have starved to death.

In popular culture

In the popular novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, the American 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital ("MASH") unit is located close to a branch of the Imjin River.

Imjin River is the subject of a famous North Korean popular song, "Rimjingang", named after the river. It was composed in 1957 with lyrics written by North Korean poet Pak Se-yong. It is a well-known song in North Korea, as it refers to Imjin River as a symbol of freedom flowing from north to south. This song depicts the sadness of a divided homeland and alludes to the infamous history of the river. The song (as "Imujingawa") later became popular in Japan when it was covered by The Folk Crusaders and other artists. It remains popular among Korean communities worldwide, as a song of hope that the Korean people will once again be united and free.

References

References

1. [http://www.iyc21.net/_foreign/eng/m03/a03_b02_c01.asp Seven Famous Spots] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-01-13 , Yeoncheon County.)
2. (5 November 2018). "(LEAD) Koreas begin joint waterway survey along western border".
3. "Two Koreas begin joint waterway inspection on shared use of Hangang River Estuary".
4. "South and North launch joint hydrographic survey of Han and Imjin estuaries".
5. "Two Koreas Complete Joint Waterway Survey of River Estuaries l KBS WORLD Radio".
6. (12 June 2014). "MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (MAS*H)". Hatchett Books.
7. [https://mouonekorea.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/a-song-to-imjin-river/ A song to Imjin River], 7 June 2012
8. [https://preephiliapisti.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/imjin-river-river-where-tears-of-the-koreans-flow/ Imjin River: River where tears of the Koreans flow], 11 March 2014

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::