[2] The Manp'o Line runs in the northwestern part of Korea along the banks of the Ch'ŏngch'ŏn and Changja rivers.

This connection is particularly important to the economies of North P'yŏngan and Chagang provinces; a great deal of coal is moved from mines along the Manp'o Line to various power plants and factories in the country.

[2] Due to the terrain it traverses, the Manp'o Line has a large number of tunnels, bridges and fills.

[2] The Kaech'ŏn–Ch'ŏndong section was originally a 762 mm (2 ft 6.0 in) narrow gauge line opened on 1 December 1918 by the Mitsui Mining Railway (미츠이 광산 전용 철도, Mich'ŭi Kwangsan Chŏn'yong Ch'ŏldo; 三井鉱山専用鉄道, Mitsui Kōzan Sen'yō Tetsudō) as an extension to its Sinanju–Kaech'ŏn mainline; in 1927 the company was renamed Kaech'ŏn Light Railway (개천 경변철도, Kaech'ŏn Kyŏngbyŏn Ch'ŏldo ; 价川軽便鉄道, Kaisen Keibentetsudō), and then was leased to the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) on 1 November 1932.

[3] Sentetsu opened the 32.6 km (20.3 mi) Sunch'ŏn–Ch'ŏndong line on 1 November 1932, and at the same time began converting the Kaech'ŏn–Ch'ŏndong section to standard gauge; this work was completed on 15 July 1933.

[5] The final section finishing the line, 49.3 km (30.6 mi) from Kanggye to Manp'o, was opened on 1 February 1939.

[2] Freight trains serve the major industries along the line, such as textiles in Kanggye and rubber and cement plants in Manp'o.

[2] Hŭich'ŏn, Chŏnch'ŏn and Kanggye are major loading points for freight from areas not served by rail.