The county seat is Ryongch'ŏn-ŭp, about 20 km (12 mi) from the border with China.

Ryongch'ŏn county is divided into 1 ŭp (town), 3 rodongjagu (workers' districts) and 19 ri (villages): The P'yŏngŭi line of the Korean State Railway, running between China and P'yŏngyang runs through Ryongchŏn and is served by several stations, including in Ryongch'ŏn-ŭp.

It is the busiest line in the country, crossing the border in nearby Sinŭiju, North Korea to Dandong, China.

In February 2011, the area and others in North P'yŏngan had rare protests, of a few score of people, calling for adequate provision of rice and power.

At the time, news of the Arab Spring was spreading via Chinese TV channels and phone calls with defectors.