The Ryongchŏn disaster was a train disaster that occurred on 22 April 2004 in the town of Ryongchŏn, North Korea, near the border with the People's Republic of China. At least 54 people were killed in the disaster.

The disaster occurred when flammable cargo exploded at Ryongchon Station at around 13:00 local time (04:00 GMT). The news was released by South Korean media outlets, which reported that up to 3,000 people had been killed or injured in the blast and subsequent fires. The North Korean government declared a state of emergency in the region, but little information has been made public by the North Korean government. Shortly after the accident, the North Korean government cut telephone lines to the outside world.

As of 2024, it remains the second-deadliest rail accident in North Korea, and the third-deadliest in Korean history, being surpassed by the Gupo Mugunghwa-Ho Derailment (South Korea) and the Dancheon train disaster (North Korea).

Effects

The Red Cross was allowed into the area, in an unusual concession from the North Korean authorities, becoming the only outside agency to see the disaster area. According to the initial agency report, 160 people were killed and 1,300 were injured in the disaster. However, official casualty reports the following day listed 54 deaths and 1,249 injuries. A wide area was reported to have been affected, with some airborne debris reportedly falling across the border in China. The Red Cross reported that 1,850 houses and buildings had been destroyed and another 6,350 had been damaged.

Cause

The cause and nature of the accident have been the subject of considerable speculation, with several different accounts being reported.

  • It was initially reported that the explosion was the result of a collision between two trains carrying gasoline (petrol) and liquified petroleum gas, possibly donated by China to alleviate the ongoing North Korean fuel shortage.

KCNA, the state news service, apparently confirmed the Xinhua report by stating the incident was "due to the electrical contact caused by carelessness during the shunting of wagons loaded with ammonium-nitrate fertilizer".

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il passed through the station several hours before the explosion as he returned from a meeting in China. It was suggested that the explosion might have been an assassination attempt, but South Korean intelligence services believed that it was an accident.

North Korean government response

According to North Korean defector Thae Yong-ho, Kim Jong-il ordered the execution of several transport officials after the disaster.

Days and Nights of Confrontation (), a North Korean film released in 2025, depicted the incident as an assassination attempt against Kim Jong-il.

See also

  • List of ammonium nitrate disasters
  • Transport in North Korea

References

  • In pictures: N Korea blast—BBC Photo gallery
  • GlobalSecurity.org report and images
  • "Reconstruction of Ryongchon"