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Pyongyang
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Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea, located on the Taedong River, at . According to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, it has a population of 3,255,388.
The city was split from the South P'yongan province in 1946. It is administered as a Directly Governed City (Chikhalsi), on the same level as provincial governments, not a Special City (Teukbyeolsi) as Seoul is in South Korea. Some sources, mostly older and South Korean, refer to P'yongyang as a Special City, but it has been reported that even the South Korean government adopted the Directly Governed City terminology in 1994.
History
A large ancient village in the P'yongyang area called Kumtan-ni was excavated in 1955 by archaeologists who found prehistoric occupation from the Chulmun and Mumun pottery periods.
North Koreans associate Pyongyang with "Asadal (???; )," or Wanggomsong (???; ???), the first capital of Gojoseon according to an Korean history books, notably Samguk Yusa.
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Encyclopedia
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea, located on the Taedong River, at . According to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, it has a population of 3,255,388.
The city was split from the South P'yongan province in 1946. It is administered as a Directly Governed City (Chikhalsi), on the same level as provincial governments, not a Special City (Teukbyeolsi) as Seoul is in South Korea. Some sources, mostly older and South Korean, refer to P'yongyang as a Special City, but it has been reported that even the South Korean government adopted the Directly Governed City terminology in 1994.
History
A large ancient village in the P'yongyang area called Kumtan-ni was excavated in 1955 by archaeologists who found prehistoric occupation from the Chulmun and Mumun pottery periods.
North Koreans associate Pyongyang with "Asadal (???; )," or Wanggomsong (???; ???), the first capital of Gojoseon according to an Korean history books, notably Samguk Yusa. Many South Korean historians dispute this association because other Korean history books place Asadal around the Liaohe river located in western Manchuria. Nonetheless, Pyongyang became a major city under Gojoseon.
No relic from the era of Former Han has been found around Pyongyang. It is likely that the area of Pyongyang ceded from disintegrating Gojoseon and belonged to another Korean kingdom by the time of fall of Wimanjoseon, the longest lasting part of Gojoseon, by Han dynasty of China in 108 BC. Relics from Later Han (25 AD to 220 AD) periods from the Pyongyang area seems to suggest China subsequently made successful military advances into the Korean peninsula including the area of Pyongyang. The area around Pyongyang was called Lelang-guk during the Later Han periods. As the capital of Lelang-guk (???; ), Pyongyang remained an important commercial and cultural outpost until Lelang-guk was destroyed by the expanding Goguryeo in 313.
Goguryeo moved its capital here in 427. Tang Dynasty China and Silla allied and defeated Goguryeo in 668. In 676, it was taken by Silla but left in the border between Silla and Balhae until the Goryeo dynasty, when the city was revived as Sogyong (??; ??; "Western Capital") although never actually a capital of Goryeo. It was the provincial capital of the P'yongan Province during the Joseon dynasty, becoming provincial capital of South P'yongan Province from 1896 and through the period of Japanese rule.
In 1945, Japanese rule ended and it was occupied by Soviet forces, and became the temporary capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at its establishment in 1948 while it aimed to recapture its official capital at that time of Seoul. It was severely damaged in the Korean War, during which it was briefly occupied by South Korean forces. After the war, the city was quickly rebuilt with Soviet help, with many buildings built in Socialist Classicism.
Historic names
One of its many historic names is Ryugyong (??; ??), or "capital of willows", as willow trees have always been numerous throughout the city's history, and many poems written about these willows. Even today, Pyongyang has numerous willow trees planted everywhere, and many buildings and places have "Ryugyong" in their names, the most notable of all being its uncompleted Ryugyong Hotel. Its other historic names include Kisong, Hwangsong, Rangrang, Sogyong, Sodo, Hogyong, Changan, etc. During the Japanese rule, and in the Japanese language, it is also known as Heijo, which is simply the Japanese reading of the Chinese characters the name Pyongyang consists of.
Administrative divisions
P'yongyang is divided into 19 wards (ku- or guyok) (the city proper) and 4 counties (kun or gun).
Landmarks
The capital has been completely redesigned since the Korean War (1950–1953). It is designed with wide avenues, imposing monuments, and monolithic buildings. The tallest structure in the city is the uncompleted Ryugyong Hotel. This hotel has 105 floors, encloses of floor space, and was planned to be topped by seven revolving restaurants.
Some notable landmarks in the city include the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the Arch of Triumph (heavily inspired by Paris's Arc de Triomphe but of a larger size), the reputed birthplace of Kim Il-sung at Mangyongdae Hill, Juche Tower, and two of the world's largest stadiums (Kim Il Sung Stadium and Rungrado May Day Stadium). Pyongyang TV Tower is a minor landmark. Other visitor attractions include the Korea Central Zoo and the large golden statues of North Korea's two leaders. The Arch of Reunification has a map of a united Korea supported by two concrete Korean women dressed in traditional dress straddling the multi-laned Reunification Highway that stretches from Pyongyang to the DMZ.
Transportation
Metro system
Pyongyang has a two-line underground metro system which has a length of . The Hyoksin line serves Kwangbok, Konguk, Hwanggumbol, Konsol, Hyoksin, Jonu, Jonsung, Samhung and Rakwon station. The Chollima line serves Puhung, Yonggwang, Ponghwa, Sungni, Tongil, Kaeson, Jonu and Pulgunbyol station. There is also a long tram and trolleybus service, but tourists have heard that few locals use them due to the high and frequent hazard of electrocution. There are not as many private automobiles as in Western cities, although the state government operates a sizeable fleet of Mercedes-Benz limousines for Party bureaucrats. Unlike in China, where residents cycle, the vast majority of residents appear to walk and bicycles are notable by their absence. The trolley bus-stops are fairly full. The incidence of use of the underground is difficult to gauge as tourists are only permitted to travel between two designated stops with a guide. It has been thought that on these pre-arranged occasions, the fellow passengers are selected to be there at the same time. The underground map is extensive but, again, just how many of the stations are operational at any one time is a matter of guesswork.
Air transportation
State-owned Air Koryo has scheduled flights from Sunan Capital International Airport to Beijing (PEK), Shenyang (SHE), Vladivostok (VVO), Macau (MFM), Bangkok (BKK), Khabarovsk(KHV) and Shenzhen (SZX). There are occasional chartered flights to Incheon (ICN), Yangyang County (YNY) and several Japanese cities. Air Koryo also claims scheduled service on a few domestic routes, although the accuracy of this is not known. The only domestic routes are Hamhung, Wonsan, Chongjin, Hyesan and Samjiyon. Intermittent service to Pyongyang is also provided by a few foreign carriers, most notably Chinese. In April 2008, Air China launched regular, 3-days-per-week, service between Beijing and Pyongyang.
Intercity trains
The city also has regular international train services to Beijing and Moscow. A journey to Beijing takes about 25 hours and 25 minutes (K27 from Beijing / K28 from Pyongyang, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays); a journey to Moscow takes 6 days.
Climate
Climate diagram of Pyongyang
Sister cities
Kathmandu, Nepal
Moscow, Russia
People from Pyongyang
See also
- List of cities in North Korea
External links
- , (North Korea Google Earth) the most authoritative mapping of Pyongyang's political, cultural, and economic infrastructure on Google Earth.
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- Satellite image from
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- - images of Pyongyang
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- , an album of tourist's pictures on Wandering Camera.
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Further reading
- Chris Springer, Pyongyang: The Hidden History of the North Korean Capital. Saranda Books, 2003. ISBN 963-00-8104-0.
- Robert Willoughby, North Korea: The Bradt Travel Guide. Globe Pequot, 2003. ISBN 1-84162-074-2.
Pictorials
- Christian Kracht, Eva Munz, Lukas Nikol, "The Ministry Of Truth. Kim Jong Ils North Korea", Feral House, Oct 2007, 132 pages, 88 color photographs, ISBN 978-932595-27-7
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