The area around Haeju is known to have been inhabited since the Neolithic period, as shellmounds, pottery, and stone tools have been found at Ryongdangp'o.

During the early Three kingdoms period, it was briefly governed by a small chieftain, when it was known as "Naemihol" (內米忽郡).

[2] The South Korean government later denied capturing the town and blamed the report on an exaggerating officer.

Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union proposed that North Korea would be invited to the UN Security Council to present its side of the story.

Haeju is divided into several urban neighborhoods ("dong") and several rural villages ("ri").

It is connected to Sariwŏn via the Hwanghae Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line of the Korean State Railway.

The Korean Central Broadcasting Station airs on AM 1080 kHz using a 1.5-megawatt mediumwave transmitter.