Suan

Suan lies in the hills of inland Hwanghae, northeast of the Chaeryŏng plain. In 1310, under Koryŏ, it was raised to the status of Suju. One account attributes this to the influence of a local man at the Yuan court; another credits a man who obtained grain to relieve famine. The Joseon government renamed it Suan in 1417, and appointed county magistrates from 1450.