Korea is a maritime country bounded by sea on three sides-east, west and south. There are the East Sea, West Sea and South Sea of Korea.
Tidelands are remarkably developed: they cover an area of 4 724.69 sq km on the west coast and 328.41 sq km on the south coast.
As tidelands are reclaimed, the territorial area increases, and the number of islands decreases in the northern part of Korea.
The continental shelf is also extensive. Most of the area of the West Sea of Korea is the continental shelf, 118m deep. The area of the continental shelf in the South Sea of Korea amounts to 136 900 sq km.
West Sea Barrage
With the construction of the West Sea Barrage, a grand monumental edifice in the era of the Workers’ Party of Korea, on the sea off Nampho in the West Sea of Korea, there came into being lock-chambers navigable for ships of tens of thousands of tons and tens of gates as well as fish ladders. As the Taedong River turned into a large reservoir, the problem of industrial, irrigation and drinking water in the lower reaches of the river was fully solved, a wide prospect for the development of transport opened up, and the landscape of the shore improved.
Taegyedo Tideland
he Taegyedo tideland reclaimed on the west coast in North Phyongan Province has an area of 8 800 ha. It is used for producing cereals, fish and salt.