a city in South Korea, on a river in the Kum-gang system. Capital of Chungchong-pukto (North Chungchong Province). Transportation junction. Population, 141,000 (1970). Chongju is a major center of the textile (including silk weaving) and tobacco industries. Other industries include agricultural machine building, the assembly of motor vehicles, food processing, and the manufacture of wood products. Products of the city’s chemical industry include rubber goods and soap. Nickel is mined in the vicinity of Chongju.