105-581: Pyongyang ( Korean : 평양 ; Hancha : 平壤 ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea , where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" ( 혁명의 수도 ). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 km (68 mi) upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea . According to the 2008 population census, it has a population of 3,255,288. Pyongyang
210-482: A haejangguk , which is any type of food eaten as a hangover cure, usually a warm soup. Another representative Pyongyang dish, Taedonggang sungeoguk , translates as "flathead grey mullet soup from the Taedong River ". The soup features flathead grey mullet (abundant in the Taedong River) along with black peppercorns and salt. Traditionally, it has been served to guests visiting Pyongyang. Therefore, there
315-484: A Siberian city during winter snowfall, although edifices of traditional Korean design somewhat soften this perception. In summer, it is notable for its rivers, willow trees, flowers and parkland. Since the end of the Korean War the city was planned strictly according to Socialist principles. According to the 1953 masterplan designed Kim Jung-hee the city was planned to reach one-million residents stretching from
420-499: A hot-summer continental monsoon climate ( Köppen : Dwa ), featuring warm to hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Cold, dry winds can blow from Siberia in winter, making conditions very cold; the low temperature is usually below freezing between November and early March, although the average daytime high is at least a few degrees above freezing in every month except January. The winter is generally much drier than summer, with snow falling for 37 days on average. The transition from
525-484: A Korean influence on Khitan. The hypothesis that Korean could be related to Japanese has had some supporters due to some overlap in vocabulary and similar grammatical features that have been elaborated upon by such researchers as Samuel E. Martin and Roy Andrew Miller . Sergei Starostin (1991) found about 25% of potential cognates in the Japanese–Korean 100-word Swadesh list . Some linguists concerned with
630-431: A bear prayed to Hwanung that they might become human. Upon hearing their prayers, Hwanung gave them twenty cloves of garlic and a bundle of mugwort , ordering them to eat only this sacred food and remain out of the sunlight for 100 days. The tiger gave up after about twenty days and left the cave. However, the bear persevered and was transformed into a woman. The bear and the tiger are said to represent two tribes that sought
735-607: A capacity of 500 MW, East Pyongyang TPS with a capacity of 50 MW, and Kangdong TPS which is under construction. Pyongyang is home to several large department stores including the Pothonggang Department Store , Pyongyang Department Store No. 1 , Pyongyang Department Store No. 2, Kwangbok Department Store, Ragwon Department Store, Pyongyang Station Department Store, and the Pyongyang Children's Department Store. The city also has Hwanggumbol Shop,
840-415: A chain of state-owned convenience stores supplying goods at prices cheaper than those in the jangmadang markets. Hwanggumbol Shops are specifically designed to control North Korea's expanding markets by attracting consumers and guaranteeing the circulation of money in government-operated stores. Korean language Korean ( South Korean : 한국어 , Hanguk-eo ; North Korean : 조선어 , Chosŏnŏ )
945-480: A core vowel. The IPA symbol ⟨ ◌͈ ⟩ ( U+0348 ◌͈ COMBINING DOUBLE VERTICAL LINE BELOW ) is used to denote the tensed consonants /p͈/, /t͈/, /k͈/, /t͡ɕ͈/, /s͈/ . Its official use in the extensions to the IPA is for "strong" articulation, but is used in the literature for faucalized voice . The Korean consonants also have elements of stiff voice , but it is not yet known how typical this
1050-465: A cortege procession when his corpse moved through the streets with a hearse as people cried out in hysteria while watching the funeral. In 2001, North Korean authorities began a long-term modernisation programme. The Ministry of Capital City Construction Development was included in the Cabinet in that year. In 2006, Kim Jong Il's brother-in-law Jang Song Thaek took charge of the ministry. Throughout
1155-545: A later founder effect diminished the internal variety of both language families. Since the establishment of two independent governments, North–South differences have developed in standard Korean, including variations in pronunciation and vocabulary chosen. However, these minor differences can be found in any of the Korean dialects , which are still largely mutually intelligible . The Chinese language , written with Chinese characters and read with Sino-Xenic pronunciations ,
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#17327650343971260-483: A major city in old Joseon. Pyongyang was founded in 1122 BC on the site of the capital of the legendary king Dangun . Wanggeom-seong , which was in the location of Pyongyang, became the capital of Gojoseon from 194 to 108 BC. It fell in the Han conquest of Gojoseon in 108 BC. Emperor Wu of Han ordered four commanderies be set up, with Lelang Commandery in the center and its capital established as "Joseon" (朝鮮縣, 조선현) at
1365-646: A population of 235,000. On 25 August 1945, the Soviet 25th Army entered Pyongyang and it became the temporary capital of the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea . A People's Committee was already established there, led by veteran Christian nationalist Cho Man-sik . Pyongyang became the de facto capital of North Korea upon its establishment in 1948. At the time, the Pyongyang government aimed to recapture Korea's official capital, Seoul. Pyongyang
1470-574: A possible relationship.) Hudson & Robbeets (2020) suggested that there are traces of a pre- Nivkh substratum in Korean. According to the hypothesis, ancestral varieties of Nivkh (also known as Amuric ) were once distributed on the Korean Peninsula before the arrival of Koreanic speakers. Korean syllable structure is (C)(G)V(C), consisting of an optional onset consonant, glide /j, w, ɰ/ and final coda /p, t, k, m, n, ŋ, l/ surrounding
1575-556: A shrine dedicated to Dangun of Gojoseon and King Chumo of Goguryeo was built in Pyongyang, and the Samseongdang ( 삼성당 ; 三聖堂 ), dedicated to the gods of Hwanin, Hwanung, and Dangun, was built. In Korea at the end of the 19th century, it was greatly emphasized to highlight the resistance of the Joseon people against Imperialist invasion, and it developed into a religion, Dangunkyo ( 단군교 ; 檀君敎 ). Dangun, who emerged as
1680-528: Is a directly administered city ( 직할시 ; 直轄市 ; chikhalsi ) with a status equal to that of the North Korean provinces . Pyongyang is one of the oldest cities in Korea. It was the capital of two ancient Korean kingdoms, Gojoseon and Goguryeo , and served as the secondary capital of Goryeo . Following the establishment of North Korea in 1948, Pyongyang became its de facto capital. The city
1785-694: Is a common saying, "How good was the trout soup?", which is used to greet people returning from Pyongyang. Another local specialty, Pyongyang onban (literally "warm rice of Pyongyang") comprises freshly cooked rice topped with sliced mushrooms, chicken, and a couple of bindaetteok (pancakes made from ground mung beans and vegetables). In 2018, there were many high-quality restaurants in Pyongyang with Korean and international food, and imported alcoholic beverages. Famous restaurants include Okryu-gwan and Ch'ongryugwan. Some street foods exist in Pyongyang, where vendors operate food stalls . Foreign foods like hamburgers, fries, pizza, and coffee are easily found. There
1890-411: Is a national holiday and is called Gaecheonjeol . It is a religious anniversary started by Daejongism ( 대종교 ; 大倧教 ), worshipping Dangun. Many Korean historians regard Dangun and Tengri as being etymologically identical. Dangun's ancestry legend begins with his grandfather Hwanin ( 환인 ; 桓因 ), the "Lord of Heaven". Hwanin had a son, Hwanung , who yearned to live on the earth among
1995-561: Is also generated by longstanding alliances, military involvement, and diplomacy, such as between South Korea–United States and China–North Korea since the end of World War II and the Korean War . Along with other languages such as Chinese and Arabic , Korean is ranked at the top difficulty level for English speakers by the United States Department of Defense . Modern Korean descends from Middle Korean , which in turn descends from Old Korean , which descends from
2100-656: Is an agglutinative language . The Korean language is traditionally considered to have nine parts of speech . Modifiers generally precede the modified words, and in the case of verb modifiers, can be serially appended. The sentence structure or basic form of a Korean sentence is subject–object–verb (SOV), but the verb is the only required and immovable element and word order is highly flexible, as in many other agglutinative languages. Question 가게에 gage-e store- LOC 가셨어요? ga-syeo-sseo-yo go- HON . PAST - CONJ - POL 가게에 가셨어요? gage-e ga-syeo-sseo-yo store-LOC go-HON.PAST-CONJ-POL 'Did [you] go to
2205-607: Is an active nightlife with late-night restaurants and karaoke. The city has water parks, amusement parks , skating rinks, health clubs, a shooting range, and a dolphinarium. Pyongyang has a number of sports clubs, including the April 25 Sports Club and the Pyongyang City Sports Club . Pyongyang is North Korea's industrial center. Thanks to the abundance of natural resources like coal , iron and limestone , as well as good land and water transport systems, it
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#17327650343972310-511: Is closer to a near-open central vowel ( [ɐ] ), though ⟨a⟩ is still used for tradition. Grammatical morphemes may change shape depending on the preceding sounds. Examples include -eun/-neun ( -은/-는 ) and -i/-ga ( -이/-가 ). Sometimes sounds may be inserted instead. Examples include -eul/-reul ( -을/-를 ), -euro/-ro ( -으로/-로 ), -eseo/-seo ( -에서/-서 ), -ideunji/-deunji ( -이든지/-든지 ) and -iya/-ya ( -이야/-야 ). Some verbs may also change shape morphophonemically. Korean
2415-1029: Is constitutionally designated as the country's capital. The seat of the Workers' Party Central Committee and the Pyongyang People's Committee are located in Haebangsan-dong, Chung-guyok . The Cabinet of North Korea is located in Jongro-dong, Chung-guyok . Pyongyang is also the seat of all major North Korean security institutions. The largest of them, the Ministry of Social Security , has 130,000 employees working in 12 bureaus. These oversee activities including: police services, security of party officials, classified documents, census, civil registrations, large-scale public construction, traffic control , fire safety, civil defence , public health and customs . Another significant structure based in
2520-407: Is divided into 19 wards ( ku- or guyŏk ) (the city proper) , 2 counties ( kun or gun ), and 1 neighborhood ( dong ). Foreign media reports in 2010 stated that Kangnam-gun , Chunghwa-gun , Sangwŏn-gun , and Sŭngho-guyŏk had been transferred to the administration of neighboring North Hwanghae Province . However, Kangnam-gun was returned to Pyongyang in 2011. Panghyŏn-dong, a missile base,
2625-399: Is mainly reserved for specific circumstances such as newspapers, scholarly papers and disambiguation. Today Hanja is largely unused in everyday life but is still important for historical and linguistic studies. The Korean names for the language are based on the names for Korea used in both South Korea and North Korea. The English word "Korean" is derived from Goryeo , which is thought to be
2730-399: Is of faucalized consonants. They are produced with a partially constricted glottis and additional subglottal pressure in addition to tense vocal tract walls, laryngeal lowering, or other expansion of the larynx. /s/ is aspirated [sʰ] and becomes an alveolo-palatal [ɕʰ] before [j] or [i] for most speakers (but see North–South differences in the Korean language ). This occurs with
2835-564: Is put on the production and supply of fresh produce and subsidiary crops in farms on the city's outskirts. Other crops include rice , sweetcorn and soybeans . Pyongyang aims to achieve self-sufficiency in meat production. High-density facilities raise pigs, chicken and other livestock. Until the late 2010s Pyongyang still experienced frequent shortages of electricity. To solve this problem, two power stations – Huichon Power Stations 1 and 2 – were built in Chagang Province and supply
2940-485: Is said to be the "grandson of heaven", "son of a bear", and to have founded the first kingdom in 2333 BC . The earliest recorded version of the Dangun legend appears in the 13th-century Samguk yusa , which cites Korea's lost historical record, Gogi ( 고기 ; 古記 ; lit. 'Ancient Record') and China's Book of Wei . Koreans celebrate Dangun's founding of Gojoseon , Korea's first dynasty, on 3 October. That day
3045-479: Is the de facto mayor . The supreme standing state organ is the Pyongyang People's Committee, responsible for everyday events in support of the city. This includes following local Party guidance as channeled through the Pyongyang Party Committee, the distribution of resources prioritised to Pyongyang, and providing support to KWP and internal security agency personnel and families. P'yŏngyang
3150-544: Is the native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the national language of both North Korea and South Korea . Beyond Korea, the language is recognized as a minority language in parts of China , namely Jilin , and specifically Yanbian Prefecture , and Changbai County . It is also spoken by Sakhalin Koreans in parts of Sakhalin , the Russian island just north of Japan, and by
3255-747: Is well attested in Western Old Japanese and Northern Ryukyuan languages , in Eastern Old Japanese it only occurs in compounds, and it is only present in three dialects of the Southern Ryukyuan language group . Also, the doublet wo meaning "hemp" is attested in Western Old Japanese and Southern Ryukyuan languages. It is thus plausible to assume a borrowed term. (See Classification of the Japonic languages or Comparison of Japanese and Korean for further details on
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3360-521: The Koryo-saram in parts of Central Asia . The language has a few extinct relatives which—along with the Jeju language (Jejuan) of Jeju Island and Korean itself—form the compact Koreanic language family . Even so, Jejuan and Korean are not mutually intelligible . The linguistic homeland of Korean is suggested to be somewhere in contemporary Manchuria . The hierarchy of the society from which
3465-527: The yangban aristocracy, who looked down upon it too easy to learn. However, it gained widespread use among the common class and was widely used to print popular novels which were enjoyed by the common class. Since few people could understand official documents written in classical Chinese, Korean kings sometimes released public notices entirely written in Hangul as early as the 16th century for all Korean classes, including uneducated peasants and slaves. By
3570-537: The Tongguk t'onggam (1485) contrary to the 40th year of the reign of the legendary Chinese Emperor Yao . Other sources vary somewhat, but also put it during Yao's reign (traditional dates: 2357 BC-2256 BC). The Samguk yusa states Dangun ascended to the throne in the 50th year of Yao's reign, while Annals of the Joseon Dynasty says the first year and Tongguk t'onggam says the 25th year. Until 1961,
3675-838: The 105th birthday of the founder and first leader, Kim Il Sung , 4,804 units were built in the new Ryomyong Street complex . The second decade of the 2000s saw the construction of residential projects in Songhwa Street near the Taedonggang Brewing Company in Sadong District (2022), in Taephyong area in Mangyongdae district, and in the Pothong Riverside Terraced Residential District located at
3780-591: The Arch of Triumph and the Mansu Hill Grand Monument . The first of them is a 170-meter (560 ft) granite spire symbolizing the Juche ideology. It was completed in 1982 and contains 25,550 granite blocks, one for each day of Kim Il Sung's life up to that point. The most prominent building on Pyongyang's skyline is Ryugyong Hotel , the seventh highest building in the world terms of floor count,
3885-588: The Forbidden City as well as various monuments and memorials, which together form an important axis of symbolic places which promotes the Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea and North Korean cult of personality around Kim family with the epicentre and Kilometre zero of the central district located at Kim Il Sung Square . The 1953 masterplan set the basic layout from which the city's development
3990-545: The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Pyongyang served as the provincial capital of South Pyongan Province until 1946, and Pyongyang cuisine shares the general culinary tradition of the Pyongan province. The most famous local food is Pyongyang raengmyŏn , or also called mul raengmyŏn or just simply raengmyŏn . Raengmyŏn literally means "cold noodles", while the affix mul refers to water because
4095-727: The Mansudae People's Theatre opened in 2012, the Munsu Water Park opened in 2013, and the renovated and expanded Sunan International Airport and Pyongyang Sci-Tech Complex , both completed in 2015, the Samjiyon Orchestra Theater, which was fitted out of the domed Korean People's Army Circus built in 1964, and the Pyongyang General Hospital , of which construction started in 2020. Additional re-development projects occurred in
4200-705: The March First Movement in 1919 and severe anti-Japanese socialist movement in 1920s due to economic exploitation. It was called Heijō (with the same Chinese characters 平壤 but read as へいじょう ) in Japanese. In July 1931, the city experienced anti-Chinese riots as a result of the Wanpaoshan Incident and the sensationalized media reports about it which appeared in Imperial Japanese and Korean newspapers. By 1938, Pyongyang had
4305-589: The Proto-Koreanic language , which is generally suggested to have its linguistic homeland somewhere in Manchuria . Whitman (2012) suggests that the proto-Koreans, already present in northern Korea, expanded into the southern part of the Korean Peninsula at around 300 BC and coexisted with the descendants of the Japonic Mumun cultivators (or assimilated them). Both had influence on each other and
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4410-480: The Qing invasion of Joseon until peace arrangements were made between Korea and Qing China. While the invasions made Koreans suspicious of foreigners, the influence of Christianity began to grow after the country opened itself up to foreigners in the 16th century. Pyongyang became the base of Christian expansion in Korea. By 1880 it had more than 100 churches and more Protestant missionaries than any other Asian city, and
4515-493: The Taedong River to the Pothong River . The city center was planned as the main administrative district with main landscape structures constructed in between districts and are used as buffer zones so that they cannot expand freely. The city center was planned with wide avenues and streets and monumental structures and forms the central administrative district where many government and public buildings are located including
4620-568: The Three Kingdoms of Korea (not the ancient confederacies in the southern Korean Peninsula), while " -eo " and " -mal " mean "language" and "speech", respectively. Korean is also simply referred to as guk-eo , literally "national language". This name is based on the same Han characters ( 國語 "nation" + "language") that are also used in Taiwan and Japan to refer to their respective national languages. In North Korea and China ,
4725-424: The diversion of resources to the army . The 2010s and 2020s saw renewed efforts in urbanization and increasing density with the reconstruction of streets and avenues located further from the center and transformation of former rural parts of the city into high density residential districts. The streets are laid out in a north–south, east–west grid, giving the city an orderly appearance. North Korean designers applied
4830-492: The idu system , was the pronunciation of the Chinese characters of "Pyongyang". "Buru" ( 부루 ) means "field" whereas "na" ( 나 ) means "land", therefore the meaning of Pyongyang in native Korean would be "Land of the field". The city's other historic names include Ryugyong , Kisong , Hwangsong , Rakrang , Sŏgyong , Sodo , Hogyong , Changan , and Heijō (during Japanese rule in Korea ). There are several variants. During
4935-592: The 13th-century Samguk yusa . Historians deny this claim because earlier Chinese historiographical works such as the Guanzi , Classic of Mountains and Seas , Records of the Grand Historian , and Records of the Three Kingdoms , mention a much later "Joseon". The connection between the two therefore may have been asserted by North Korea for the use of propaganda. Nevertheless, Pyongyang became
5040-836: The 17th century, the yangban had exchanged Hangul letters with slaves, which suggests a high literacy rate of Hangul during the Joseon era. In the context of growing Korean nationalism in the 19th century, the Gabo Reform of 1894 abolished the Confucian examinations and decreed that government documents would be issued in Hangul instead of literary Chinese. Some newspapers were published entirely in Hangul, but other publications used Korean mixed script , with Hanja for Sino-Korean vocabulary and Hangul for other elements. North Korea abolished Hanja in writing in 1949, but continues to teach them in schools. Their usage in South Korea
5145-439: The 1953 master plan, it diverted from it in some aspects, such as the construction of high-rises along the central avenues, a step conflicted with the 1953 plan which called for more even distribution of the residential construction throughout the city in several multi-cores. The 90s saw a relative slowdown in the development of the urban structure due to the deep economic crisis and famine which swept through North Korea and led to
5250-408: The 20th century. The script uses 24 basic letters ( jamo ) and 27 complex letters formed from the basic ones. When first recorded in historical texts, Korean was only a spoken language . Since the turn of the 21st century, aspects of Korean culture have spread to other countries through globalization and cultural exports . As such, interest in Korean language acquisition (as a foreign language )
5355-565: The Dangun legend appears in the 13th century Samguk yusa , which cites China's Book of Wei and Korea's lost history text Gogi ( 고기 ; 古記 ). This is the best known and most studied version, but similar versions are recorded in the Jewang Un-gi by the late Goryeo scholar Yi Seunghyu ( 이승휴 ; 李承休 , 1224–1300), as well as the Eungje Siju ( 응제시주 ; 應製詩註 ) and Sejong Sillok ( 세종실록 ; commonly known as " Annals of
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#17327650343975460-503: The Joseon Dynasty" , Sejong Jang-heon Dae-wang Shil-lok ; 세종장헌대왕실록 ; 世宗莊憲大王實錄 ) of the early Joseon. Dangun is worshipped today as a deity by the followers of Cheondoism and Daejongism. Dangun is the second pattern or hyeong in the International Taekwon-Do Federation form of the Korean martial art taekwondo . Students learn that the hyeong represents "the holy legendary founder of Korea in
5565-713: The Lelang Commandery was destroyed by an expanding Goguryeo in 313. Goguryeo moved its capital there in 427. According to Christopher Beckwith , Pyongyang is the Sino-Korean reading of the name they gave it in their language: Piarna , or "level land". In 668, Pyongyang became the capital of the Protectorate General to Pacify the East established by the Tang dynasty of China. However, by 676, it
5670-553: The Swedish experience of self-sufficient urban neighbourhoods throughout the entire country, and Pyongyang is no exception. Its inhabitants are mostly divided into administrative units of 5,000 to 6,000 people ( dong ). These units all have similar sets of amenities including a food store, a barber shop, a tailor , a public bathhouse, a post office , a clinic, a library and others. Many residents occupy high-rise apartment buildings. One of Kim Il Sung's priorities while designing Pyongyang
5775-458: The WPK which has its headquarters in the so-called Forbidden City . The name Pyongyang is borrowed from Korean "평양" (literally "flat land"), from McCune–Reischauer (MR) romanisation P'yŏngyang, a Sino-Korean word from 平壤. It indicates the geographical feature of the location to have a smooth terrain. In native Korean, the city was called "Buruna" ( 부루나 ) or less commonly "Barana" ( 바라나 ) which, using
5880-718: The area around the Arch of Triumph where the Pyongyang People's Hospital no. 1 was demolished. Apartment blocks in the area of Inhŭng-dong, in Moranbong-guyok district and in the area of Sinwon-dong in Pothonggang district were demolished in 2018–2019 for the construction of new apartment buildings. Also in 2018 the Youth Park Open-Air Theatre in Sungri Street, used to host political rallies,
5985-455: The beginnings of words. /l/ becomes alveolar flap [ɾ] between vowels, and [l] or [ɭ] at the end of a syllable or next to another /l/ . A written syllable-final ' ㄹ ', when followed by a vowel or a glide ( i.e. , when the next character starts with ' ㅇ '), migrates to the next syllable and thus becomes [ɾ] . Traditionally, /l/ was disallowed at the beginning of a word. It disappeared before [j] , and otherwise became /n/ . However,
6090-424: The central figure of nationalism, played a large role in the spiritual foundation of the independence movement during the Japanese colonial period. In addition, the history of the Dangun era was compiled by followers of Daejongism , such as 'Daedong Sagang' ( 대동사강 ) and 'Gyuwon Sahwa' ( 규원사화 ) and the independence movement, emphasizing the history of the Dangun period. The study of Dangun in South Korea focused on
6195-466: The city center next to the Pothong River on land previously used by the headquarters of the International Taekwon-Do Federation . Kim Jong Un ordered that the residential district be renamed "Kyongru-dong" meaning "beautiful bead terrace". From the 50s to the 70s the area was the location of the residence of Kim Il Sung and was known as "Mansion No. 5". Other recent public building projects include
6300-402: The city is the Ministry of State Security , whose 30,000 personnel manage intelligence, political prison systems, military industrial security and entry and exit management. The politics and management of the city is dominated by the Workers' Party of Korea , as they are in the national level. The city is managed by the Pyongyang Party Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and its chairman
6405-656: The city lies on a flat plain about 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the Korea Bay , an arm of the Yellow Sea . The Taedong River flows southwestward through the city toward the Korea Bay. The Pyongyang plain, where the city is situated, is one of the two large plains on the Western coast of the Korean peninsula, the other being the Chaeryong plain. Both have an area of approximately 500 square kilometers. Pyongyang has
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#17327650343976510-592: The city through direct transmission lines. A second phase of the power expansion project was launched in January 2013, consisting of a series of small dams along the Chongchon River . The first two power stations have a maximum generating capacity of 300 megawatts (MW), while the 10 dams to be built under second phase are expected to generate about 120 MW. In addition, the city has several existing or planned thermal power stations . These include Pyongyang TPS with
6615-800: The cold, dry winter to the warm, wet summer occurs rather quickly between April and early May, and there is a similarly abrupt return to winter conditions in late October and November. Summers are generally hot and humid, with the East Asian monsoon taking place from June until September; these are also the hottest months, with average temperatures of 21 to 25 °C (70 to 77 °F), and daytime highs often above 30 °C (86 °F). Although largely transitional seasons, spring and autumn experience more pleasant weather, with average high temperatures ranging from 20 to 26 °C (68 to 79 °F) in May and 22 to 27 °C (72 to 81 °F) in September, coupled with relatively clear, sunny skies. Major government and other public offices are located in Pyongyang, which
6720-442: The dish is served in a cold broth. Raengmyŏn consists of thin and chewy buckwheat noodles in a cold meat-broth with dongchimi (watery kimchi) and topped with a slice of sweet Korean pear . Pyongyang raengmyŏn was originally eaten in homes built with ondol (traditional underfloor heating ) during the cold winter, so it is also called "Pyongyang deoldeori" (shivering in Pyongyang). Pyongyang locals sometimes enjoyed it as
6825-564: The early 20th century, Pyongyang came to be known among missionaries as being the " Jerusalem of the East", due to its historical status as a stronghold of Christianity , namely Protestantism , especially during the Pyongyang Revival of 1907. After Kim Il Sung's death in 1994, some members of Kim Jong Il 's faction proposed changing the name of Pyongyang to "Kim Il Sung City" ( Korean : 김일성시 ; Hanja : 金日成市 ), but others suggested that North Korea should begin calling Seoul "Kim Il Sung City" instead and grant Pyongyang
6930-400: The entire war, involving 1,400 UN aircraft. Already during the war, plans were made to reconstruct the city. On 27 July 1953 – the day the armistice between North Korea and South Korea was signed – The Pyongyang Review wrote: "While streets were in flames, an exhibition showing the general plan of restoration of Pyongyang was held at the Moranbong Underground Theater", the air raid shelter of
7035-463: The excavation of the Mausoleum of Tangun in 1994, North Korea changed its position and claimed that the Dangun myth reflects historical facts and that Dangun is a real person. Also, Dangun claims that the first king of Gojoseon, founded by the Korean people, had all of his birth, founding, and tombs in Pyongyang. There is a tomb of Dangun that North Korea excavated and reconstructed near the city directly under Pyongyang. The earliest recorded version of
7140-402: The favor of the heavenly prince. The bear-woman, Ungnyeo , was grateful and made offerings to Hwanung. However, she lacked a husband, and soon became sad and prayed beneath a "divine birch " tree ( 신단수 ; 神檀樹 ; shindansu ) to be blessed with a child. Hwanung, moved by her prayers, took her for his wife and soon she gave birth to a son named Dangun Wanggeom. Dangun ascended to
7245-399: The first Korean dynasty known to Western nations. Korean people in the former USSR refer to themselves as Koryo-saram or Koryo-in (literally, " Koryo/Goryeo persons"), and call the language Koryo-mal' . Some older English sources also use the spelling "Corea" to refer to the nation, and its inflected form for the language, culture and people, "Korea" becoming more popular in
7350-429: The former territory of Kangdong Airfield which was demolished in 2019. In April 2024 the second stage of construction in the Hwasong area was completed in Rimhung Street with 10,000 apartments was marked with an extravagant ceremony. Pyongyang, alongside Seoul , launched a bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics , but failed to make the joint city candidate list. Pyongyang is in the west-central part of North Korea;
7455-404: The government under Moranbong . "On the way of victory... fireworks which streamed high into the night sky of the capital in a gun salute briefly illuminated the construction plan of the city which would rise soon with a new look". After the war, the city was quickly rebuilt with assistance from the Soviet Union , and many buildings were built in the style of Stalinist architecture . The plans for
7560-478: The historical significance of the Gojoseon society. In South Korea, Dangun Wanggeom is regarded as the head of the Gojoseon society, with many characteristics of the role of high priest. Wanggeom has the meaning of an overlord who governs the country. In North Korea, the Dangun and Dangun myths were previously established as the founding myth to justify the process of establishing the Gojoseon regime. However, after
7665-479: The inflow of western loanwords changed the trend, and now word-initial /l/ (mostly from English loanwords) are pronounced as a free variation of either [ɾ] or [l] . All obstruents (plosives, affricates, fricatives) at the end of a word are pronounced with no audible release , [p̚, t̚, k̚] . Plosive sounds /p, t, k/ become nasals [m, n, ŋ] before nasal sounds. Hangul spelling does not reflect these assimilatory pronunciation rules, but rather maintains
7770-408: The issue between Japanese and Korean, including Alexander Vovin, have argued that the indicated similarities are not due to any genetic relationship , but rather to a sprachbund effect and heavy borrowing, especially from Ancient Korean into Western Old Japanese . A good example might be Middle Korean sàm and Japanese asá , meaning " hemp ". This word seems to be a cognate, but although it
7875-639: The language is most often called Joseon-mal , or more formally, Joseon-o . This is taken from the North Korean name for Korea (Joseon), a name retained from the Joseon dynasty until the proclamation of the Korean Empire , which in turn was annexed by the Empire of Japan . In mainland China , following the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1992, the term Cháoxiǎnyǔ or
7980-472: The language originates deeply influences the language, leading to a system of speech levels and honorifics indicative of the formality of any given situation. Modern Korean is written in the Korean script ( 한글 ; Hangeul in South Korea, 조선글 ; Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea), a system developed during the 15th century for that purpose, although it did not become the primary script until
8085-455: The late 1800s. In South Korea the Korean language is referred to by many names including hanguk-eo ("Korean language"), hanguk-mal ("Korean speech") and uri-mal ("our language"); " hanguk " is taken from the name of the Korean Empire ( 대한제국 ; 大韓帝國 ; Daehan Jeguk ). The " han " ( 韓 ) in Hanguk and Daehan Jeguk is derived from Samhan , in reference to
8190-422: The location of Pyongyang. Several archaeological findings from the later, Eastern Han (20–220 AD) period in the Pyongyang area seems to suggest that Han forces later launched brief incursions around these parts. The area around the city was called Nanglang during the early Three Kingdoms period . As the capital of Nanglang ( 낙랑국 ; 樂浪國 ), Pyongyang remained an important commercial and cultural outpost after
8295-405: The masterplan, the 60s and 70s saw new wave of development which included expansion of the central boulevards, construction of high-density apartment buildings along the central boulevards, grandiose civic and cultural buildings and monumental statues and squares. This tendency included also the inclusion of traditional Korean architecture for some buildings. While the development generally followed
8400-489: The modern city of Pyongyang were first displayed for public viewing in a theatre building. Kim Jung-hee, one of the founding members of the Korean Architects Alliance, who had studied architecture in prewar Japan , was appointed by Kim Il Sung to design the city's master plan. Moscow Architectural Institute designed the "Pyongyang City Reconstruction and Construction Comprehensive Plan" in 1951, and it
8505-543: The moniker "Kim Jong Il City". In the end, neither proposal was implemented. In 1955, archaeologists excavated evidence of prehistoric dwellings in a large ancient village in the Pyongyang area, called Kŭmtan-ni, dating to the Jeulmun and Mumun pottery periods. North Koreans associate Pyongyang with the mythological city of " Asadal ", or Wanggeom-seong , the first second millennium BC capital of Gojoseon ("Old Joseon") according to Korean historiographies beginning with
8610-524: The official South Korean era (for numbering years) was called the Dangi ( 단기 ; 檀紀 ), which began in 2333 BC. Followers of Daejongism considered 3 October in the Korean calendar as Gaecheonjeol . This day is now a public holiday in South Korea in the Gregorian calendar called "National Foundation Day". North Korea dates Dangun's founding of Gojoseon to the early 30th century BC. 15 March in
8715-587: The old apartments of the 1970s and '80s replaced by taller high rise buildings and leisure parks like the Kaesong Youth Park , as well as renovations of older buildings. In 2018, the city was described as unrecognizable compared to five years before. Notable landmarks in the city include: Pyongyang TV Tower is a minor landmark. Other visitor attractions include the Korea Central Zoo . The Reunification Highway stretches from Pyongyang to
8820-463: The population was illiterate. In the 15th century King Sejong the Great personally developed an alphabetic featural writing system , known today as Hangul , to promote literacy among the common people. Introduced in the document Hunminjeongeum , it was called eonmun ('colloquial script') and quickly spread nationwide to increase literacy in Korea. The Korean alphabet was denounced by
8925-624: The rule of Kim Jong Un a number of residential projects were constructed. In 2012, Changjon Street, a residential project with 2,784 units, was inaugurated in the heart of Pyongyang. 2013 and 2014 residential projects dedicated to scientists were completed in Unha Scientists Street and Wisong Scientists Street with more than 1,000 units each while in 2015 work took place on a residential project in Mirae Scientists Street with 2,584 units. In 2017, in dedication to
9030-669: The short form Cháoyǔ has normally been used to refer to the standard language of North Korea and Yanbian , whereas Hánguóyǔ or the short form Hányǔ is used to refer to the standard language of South Korea. Korean is a member of the Koreanic family along with the Jeju language . Some linguists have included it in the Altaic family, but the core Altaic proposal itself has lost most of its prior support. The Khitan language has several vocabulary items similar to Korean that are not found in other Mongolian or Tungusic languages, suggesting
9135-424: The store?' Response 예/네. ye/ne AFF Dangun Dangun or Tangun ( Korean : 단군 ; Hanja : 檀君 ; [tan.ɡun] ), also known as Dangun Wanggeom ( 단군왕검 ; 檀君王儉 ; [tan.ɡun waŋ.ɡʌm] ), was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon , the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the Korean Peninsula . He
9240-697: The tallest unoccupied building in the world, and one of the tallest hotels in the world . It has yet to open. Pyongyang has a rapidly evolving skyline, dominated by high-rise apartment buildings. A construction boom began with the Changjon Street Apartment Complex, which was completed in 2012. Construction of the complex began after late leader Kim Jong Il described Changjon Street as "pitiful". Other housing complexes are being upgraded as well, but most are still poorly insulated, and lacking elevators and central heating. An urban renewal program continued under Kim Jong Un's leadership, with
9345-441: The tense fricative and all the affricates as well. At the end of a syllable, /s/ changes to /t/ (example: beoseot ( 버섯 ) 'mushroom'). /h/ may become a bilabial [ɸ] before [o] or [u] , a palatal [ç] before [j] or [i] , a velar [x] before [ɯ] , a voiced [ɦ] between voiced sounds, and a [h] elsewhere. /p, t, t͡ɕ, k/ become voiced [b, d, d͡ʑ, ɡ] between voiced sounds. /m, n/ frequently denasalize at
9450-434: The throne, built the walled city of Asadal situated near Pyongyang (the location is disputed), and called the kingdom Joseon—referred to today as Gojoseon so as not to be confused with the later kingdom of Joseon that was established roughly 2000 years later. He then moved his capital to Asadal on Mount Paegak or Mount Gunghol. Dangun's biography reflected the interest of the people of Dangun Joseon ( Gojoseon ) at
9555-406: The time in establishing the legitimacy of the kingship of Gojoseon and the dignity of the country. The king of Gojoseon conducted a ritual in honor of his ancestral god every year. Soon, the myth of Dangun was the political ideology of the Gojoseon period, and the ritual had a function of political assembly. Emperor Dangun's rule is usually calculated to begin in 2333 BCE, based on the description of
9660-464: The underlying, partly historical morphology . Given this, it is sometimes hard to tell which actual phonemes are present in a certain word. The traditional prohibition of word-initial /ɾ/ became a morphological rule called "initial law" ( 두음법칙 ) in the pronunciation standards of South Korea, which pertains to Sino-Korean vocabulary. Such words retain their word-initial /ɾ/ in the pronunciation standards of North Korea. For example, ^NOTE ㅏ
9765-411: The valleys and the mountains. Hwanin permitted Hwanung and 3,000 followers to descend onto Myohyang-san , where Hwanung founded Sinsi ( 신시 ; 神市 , "City of God"). Along with his ministers of clouds, rain and wind, he instituted laws and moral codes and taught humans various arts, medicine, and agriculture. Legend attributes the development of acupuncture and moxibustion to Dangun. A tiger and
9870-537: The year 4340 of the Dangun Era is called "Royal Day Festival" ( 어천절 ; 御天節 ; Eocheonjeol ), the day that the semi-legendary founder Dangun returned to the heavens. Dangun began to attract attention during the late Goryeo dynasty , when Koreans fought wars against the Mongolian Yuan dynasty . During the Joseon period they were worshiped as the ancestors of the nation. In the Joseon dynasty,
9975-580: Was administrated by Kusong , North Pyongan Province . It had been transferred to the administration of P'yŏngyang on February 10, 2018. After being destroyed during the Korean War, Pyongyang was entirely rebuilt according to Kim Il Sung's vision, which was to create a capital that would boost morale in the post-war years. The result was a city with wide, tree-lined boulevards and public buildings with terraced landscaping, mosaics and decorated ceilings. Its Soviet-style architecture makes it reminiscent of
10080-417: Was again devastated during the Korean War , but was quickly rebuilt after the war with Soviet assistance. Pyongyang is the political, industrial and transport center of North Korea. It is estimated that 99% of those living in Pyongyang are members, candidate members, or dependents of members of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). It is home to North Korea's major government institutions , as well as
10185-455: Was again severely damaged in the Korean War , during which it was briefly occupied by South Korean forces from 19 October to 6 December 1950. The city saw many refugees evacuate when advancing Chinese forces pushed southward towards Pyongyang. UN forces oversaw the evacuation of refugees as they retreated from Pyongyang in December 1950. In 1952, it was the target of the largest aerial raid of
10290-653: Was called "the Jerusalem of the East". In 1890, the city had 40,000 inhabitants. It was the site of the Battle of Pyongyang during the First Sino-Japanese War , which led to the destruction and depopulation of much of the city. It was the provincial capital of South Pyeongan Province beginning in 1896. During the Japanese colonial rule , Japan tried to develop the city as an industrial center, but faced
10395-409: Was derived in the next decades with a unit district system which mixes residential and industrial zoning. Those districts are spread around the central administrative district and together with it they form the key axis of directionality for the city expansion. While in the 50s the major emphasis was placed on the reconstruction of Pyongyang from its ruins as carefully a socialist city in strict line with
10500-487: Was first introduced to Korea in the 1st century BC, and remained the medium of formal writing and government until the late 19th century. Korean scholars adapted Chinese characters (known in Korean as Hanja ) to write their own language, creating scripts known as idu , hyangchal , gugyeol , and gakpil. These systems were cumbersome, due to the fundamental disparities between the Korean and Chinese languages, and accessible only to those educated in classical Chinese. Most of
10605-450: Was officially adopted in 1953. The transformation into a modern, propaganda-designed city featuring Stalin-style architecture with a Korean-style arrangement (and other modernist architecture that was said to have been greatly influenced by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer ) began. The 1972 Constitution officially declared Pyongyang the capital. The funeral of Kim Il Sung was held in Pyongyang in 1994. Then on 19 July, it concluded with
10710-628: Was rebuilt. In 2021–2022 a major housing project was executed along Songhwa Street in southeast part of the city Hwasong Street in Hwasong District in northern Pyongyang with high-rises. In 2023 phase two of construction of housing in Hwasong district was launched, on the former territory of the Pyongyang Vegetable Science Institute. In addition, a complex of greenhouse farm and housing was initiated on
10815-660: Was taken by Silla , but left on the border between Silla and Balhae . Pyongyang was left abandoned during the Later Silla period, until it was recovered by Wang Geon and decreed as the Western Capital of Goryeo . During the Imjin War , Pyongyang was captured by the Japanese and held the city wall until they were defeated in the Siege of Pyongyang . Later in the 17th century, it became temporarily occupied during
10920-464: Was the first industrial city to emerge in North Korea after the Korean War. Light and heavy industries are both present and have developed in parallel. Heavy manufactures include cement , industrial ceramics, munitions and weapons, but mechanical engineering remains the core industry. Light industries in Pyongyang and its vicinity include textiles , footwear and food, among others. Special emphasis
11025-470: Was to limit the population. Authorities maintain a restrictive regime of movement into the city, making it atypical of East Asia as it is silent, uncrowded and spacious. Structures in Pyongyang are divided into three major architectural categories: monuments, buildings with traditional Korean motifs and high-rises. Some of North Korea's most recognisable landmarks are monuments, like the Juche Tower ,
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