Living in Hamhŭng, North Korea

Hamhŭng is a mid-sized coastal city in South Hamgyong, North Korea (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 11°C over the year with about 800 mm of rain. For foreigners, long-term residency in North Korea is hard to obtain.

See which cities rank best for you

12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).

Climate: 11°C; 800 mm rain a year
Size: Mid-sized; 250,000 to 1 million people
Safety: 60/100; country-level
Residency: Hard to obtain; for most foreigners

Limited data for North Korea. Figures for safety, healthcare and political stability in North Korea are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed figures for North Korea, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

Travel advisory. As of 13 October 2026, the US State Department advises against all travel to North Korea ("Level 4: Do Not Travel"). Our quiz and best-cities lists leave Hamhŭng out, and the safety figures below are country averages that do not reflect the advisory. Read the current advisory on travel.state.gov and your own government's travel advice.

What stands out about Hamhŭng

Colder than 88% of the cities we track
Long-term residency is hard to obtain
On or near the sea

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. North Korea has no published long-term-residency, investor, or sufficient-means route for foreigners; the only de facto ways to stay are discretionary, state-gated postings as a diplomat, UN/aid worker, or partner in a state joint venture, decided case by case.

For short visits, 198 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Climate

Hamhŭng averages 11°C across the year with about 800 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 12% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Healthcare

North Korea scores 59 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 26% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in North Korea: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Safety and stability

North Korea scores 60 out of 100 on safety, safer than 50% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 1.9 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in North Korea: Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025) and life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Hamhŭng

Is Hamhŭng a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on healthcare and political stability. Our figures for North Korea are partial: no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a cool, moderately wet climate (11°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.

Can foreigners live in North Korea long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. North Korea has no published long-term-residency, investor, or sufficient-means route for foreigners; the only de facto ways to stay are discretionary, state-gated postings as a diplomat, UN/aid worker, or partner in a state joint venture, decided case by case.

What is the weather like in Hamhŭng?

Hamhŭng averages 11°C across the year with about 800 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 12% of the cities we track.