Kwanbuk

Kwanbuk 관북 · 關北
Region of Korea
Etymology: "North of the Ridge"
Kwanbuk marked in blue in northeast Korea
Country	North Korea  South Korea (claimed)
Dialects	Hamgyŏng, Ryukchin (문화어)

Kwanbuk, or Gwanbuk (Korean: 관북), is a region of Korea now comprising the northeast provinces of Ryanggang, North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, and the Rajin-Sonbong Special Economic Zone. It borders the Kwansŏ region to the west and the Kwandong region to the east, and faces the Sea of Japan to the east.

Its name, Kwanbuk, means "North of the Ridge". The ridge in question is the Machon mountain range (Hanja: 摩天嶺; North Korean (Munhwa'ŏ): 마천령 machŏnryŏng; South Korean (Pyojuneo): 마천영 macheonyeong).^[1] Machŏnryŏng is a part of the greater Hamgyong mountain range that runs through northeast Korea.

Kwanbuk can further be divided into another subregion, Kwannam (關南/관남, gwannam), which demarcates South Hamgyong from the rest of the region.

In modern times, the name has fallen out of use in most parts of Korea.