Kusong is also home to much of North Korea's military industry, with both munitions factories and uranium mines in the area.[1] The No.112, also known as the January 12th Factory was the site of the first successful Hwasong-12 launch, with a memorial dedicated to the successful launch nearby.[2]
The Panghyon airfield is also located by Kusong,[3] which is a site of missile test launches, including the first successful ICBM test launch by the DPRK.[3]
Kusong is home to the Machine Plant managed by Ho Chol Yong, a large factory that produces tracked vehicles and tanks. This factory saw multiple extensions to it in 2016 and 2020. The factories' expansion is reflected on the increasing use of tracked transporter erector launchers.[4]
Climate
The year-round average temperature is 8.2 °C, with a January average of -9.6 °C and an August average of 23.3 °C. 1300 millimeters of rain fall in a typical year. 22% of the county's area is cultivated; 64% is forested.
The city is divided into 24 neighborhoods (dong) and 18 villages (ri).Panghyŏn-dong (방현동/方峴洞), a missile industry area, used to be part of the city but it was later transferred to the administration under Pyongyang city in 2018 and is now not part of the city.[6]