MUNP'YONG REFINERY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R008300670001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 23, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 28, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

Q 4 A SON REPORT cl,' NC
5
Approved For Rei`Ab-2bb`GP82-00~
Iii UUfAX 9
A ~~arxp ' Yong
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1%efinery
CONFIDENTIAL
28 a P 51
NO. OF ME-
NO. OF ENCLSn
(LISTED BELOW
UPPLET'1ENT TO
REPORT NO.
began nark on
.n. 3 :tabor .936 SNIT~T;) fl a Jap .nose u$ ialist9
yon e 39-24-)-* Coras#sucti?n of
of a rl3f7~~ at P;tanp Yer~ ~
ov . _' nacre and tiro lead furnaces i as t~ The nse ljovember of the r f 7 ax r
y~, ; .:'i c ~r r1e n capers ri.old n38? ores from
er 1e~_ad gold and silver 9 silver by Processing o (
{; . iuoc 9 Yongjung (127-50p 10E.neral neral ) q
rcao. J~ 65 which were all under the managment of
z wrap ;)4nc nora (121.v-54s, 48)a ores fr a
was established
Cctob r s 947-s the les n elm &nd elate (130-10 p 33?52) in
; rodv. ;ed at the factory was sent nt to to Hu Hun ;nazci ~aru~
y
toJapan the three ~9i ~
.pan wh ]r' gold and silver bullion was sent
lar in
sltr':b-a. ~ er II , t .e Tgunp yonC refinery :;ogee.:, i-ras
the ~;v~Terlraeii?., ~ and
d. for the outbreak of the wary gold p aducticn was l .ted by
The r et
proi?taction was ci iled 1 cruse of a lack of ra materials,, t~P the
ei y Aidinly produced lead during the ware The refinery was closed down af ,I >; ::anoso st Den ex:3 until 7.3 October 1945 9 Wien it opened as the NationaI. =-1unp l ,V an6
.e1"t . ry oL tho Nom Korean gave n ento It did not suffer a loss of equipment
dim;: q : the liberatiOf o
The Yactord r nagement began to experiment vit A the production of lead arsenate,
vhe 3. is 13ned ~~9 using by-products of lead bullion, arsenate acids and
in f~~la~a
olec'lead. The results of the encperimont were successf il, arxd the ro.-
:~?~i7.yt~~c :~
te the Koroan
east Lras
f'inor?: began to produce lead arsenate in Februry a ln9 6. lead To o , meet
denurd. of an annual output of 500 tone a years 6C1lead to
hui l f, by 13 O,.tober 1946 when it vent: into full pr
t now silver ele:trolysis oguipment was installed in the re finery
co in Al-iril =?;lvit go-Id ark. silver could be completely refined tare at the plant ult of fulr'th r~~ac~ inenter~
to lop s1r..ipp~ to Japan. ~~om perch 9~ on, ?~ ., ~
riou,; the refinery was able to produce bismuth bullion from ?ithaxga whi1c pr
4,
ducing gold and ,i.lver,
CONFIDENTIAL
LM I~sv,~~a~,~.
G~6~n~ +7../[[rr~{trN5nB ?)fSTRI6UTION t;~)i 7FT'aT} CI*gpG(PAC
STATE cS7,1NAV
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Approved For Release 2000/05/22 : CI RDP8
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 Approved For Release 2000/05/22 : CIA-RDP82-00457R008300670001-0
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rn uent had to accelerate the program of the factory to
:e Nort x Korean gove
la+ et the de .,and for goods king ghippe.4 to the Soviet Uni )n. . 100-ton blast
on
1
th
lt
g
unp
y
e
?xace, which was idle in the Chirnamp~o Refinery, was nol ed to
1,ytic ce .e were also built to aid in increasing produ:tion.
'bo lead arsenate factory was suspes,ded in January 1950 as a result of diffi-
duc ix W_srraxth by electrolysis,,, and 3o the factory converted to a dry-refining
,:ethod. In March 1950, with the installation of a 250-kaowatt generator,
Y6 pew a ectxloly',.ic cells,, were instal.led, followed by 7 more in June, bringing
,hp total. to 288.
? the additional equipment. -the Msmuth output reac.'red 1,000 tons monthly,
wd~
art Ute North Korean authorities plaaoed to add another 288 cells. However,
the North Korean invasion of South Korea, the n=,#nr project was not reali?ed,
a, rrd production declinced oecause of ctfficulties in trans,.)ortation and expl-ii-
-ion 01 mineral ores, uy Uctouer 1950, ) cells w>re in Operation.
three bouts fell ar+,und the blast 2 at ace room,, destroyirJg the
1 Sept, xtber
,
v.$?
building and a part of the fu-~sace :ind killing seve,i men and injuring nine.
on 21 8ep4t, the refinery stopp _d pr.duction, serad all machinery was mvvon
from one three kilorieters from tae original Aita. All the factory wD rkere
n are dice.arged and the staff raembevs fled. ti
When the -area was occupied by United tlations trop or' 13 October 1950,.aL
cttrxicir 6s area oi'fi.ce workers applies to join the unit-' on 25 October, the
H431 inery }pectal Headquarters of the T #:xhart Youth Corps was organized fn the
factory to carry on restoration work. By 3.4. October, the oxygen factory and
silver altxctrolytic equip..,ent were rest ;red and on 15 t?over ber .the lei d elec-
erica unit, rich r 'na:;ied itself ...unp 1(,)ng tom' -Self-Defense Urito
Since tip of the three largest refinerie) in North Korea,, at Hungnam and Chin-
wt re destroyed in he Korean W!r the Munp'yon - Refinery rewained an
the only t'. ctory of any impr"tance iahich could possibly function.
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Meat. For a px? r.oua repor on the Munptyong Refinery, see
1 aInventory of prnperty of 1~,ur.9 tyong Refinery
1, c llection of charts
A of equipment
Approved For Release 2000/05/22 : CIA-RDP82-00457R008300670001-0