History of Ch'ongjin

Eyewitness accounts claim that in the fall of 1995, the entire 6th Army Corps of the Korean People's Army, stationed in the centre of Ranam-guyeok district, abandoned Chongjin city en masse during one overnight period. Despite the event having not being reported by the state-run newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, eyewitness accounts describe a convoy of approximately three thousand men accompanied by dozens of trucks and tanks gathering close to Ranam Station before leaving the city. Following this event, it was rumoured that the Army had failed to successfully seize control of Chongjin in coordination with an assassination of Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang by fellow plotters and the entire army was purged; other sources partially counter these claims, citing that the alleged disbandment occurred for financial reasons. It is thought that the 6th Army was subsequently replaced by the 9th Army from Wonsan