The island of Sinmido hosts a peak of 532 m, Unjongsan, and is also home to a variety of plants normally found only in warm areas.

Sŏnch'ŏn county is divided into 1 ŭp (town) and 24 ri (villages): The local economy relies on agriculture, including livestock-raising and sericulture, as well as fishing and manufacturing.

Sŏnch'ŏn county is served by the P'yŏngŭi Line of the Korean State Railway, which runs between P'yŏngyang and Sinŭiju.

In February 2011, the area and other cities 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.