KUM RIVER

Korean Kum-gang river, southwestern South Korea. It rises east of Chonju in North Cholla do (province) and flows north-northwest through North Ch'ungch'ong do, where it turns southwest and empties into the Yellow Sea at Kunsan. The Kum River is 249 miles (401 km) long and is navigable for 81 miles (130 km; as far as Puyo). It is located in an area of fertile plains and gold deposits. The 1,624-foot- (495-metre-) long Taechong multipurpose dam, on a branch of the Kum River, was completed in 1980. It supplies the cities around its middle course (Ch'ongju, Nonsan, and Kanggyong) with water and with electricity.