Jo Sep 6, 2026
The Taedong Gate is the eastern gate of the Walled City of Pyongyang of Koguryo Kingdom (277 BC-668 AD) on the banks of the Taedong River in Taedongmun-dong in Central District of Pyongyang.
It was originally built as the eastern gate of the keep of the Walled City of Pyongyang, the capital of Koguryo, in the mid-6th century, and was rebuilt in 947 and 1392, the initial periods of the Koryo dynasty and the feudal Joson dynasty. The present structure was built in 1635.
It was the most important and biggest one among six gates of Pyongyang. It is 19 metres high. The embankment is 26.3 metres long, 14.25 metres wide and 6.5 metres high. In the middle of the embankment is an arch-shaped gateway whose four corners gradually widen outwards on the plane surface so that it can bear the weight of the structure.
The gate is considered as a typical example of gate construction of the feudal Joson dynasty embodying magnificence, beauty and airiness, as it has the architectural style and structural features of the early period of the feudal Joson dynasty, which inherited and developed the architectural art of Koryo.
Today, the gate serves as a recreational ground for the working people, youth and schoolchildren as it goes well with the Pyongyang Bell House, Ryongwang Pavilion and the Taedong River promenade’s flower bed facilities while boasting the long history of Pyongyang, which turned into a magnificent modern capital city.
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Jo Sep 3, 2026
In September there are seasonal subdivisions of Paengno and Chubun.
Paengno means the time when clear dew falls with a sign of autumn. Chubun means that summer completely gives way to autumn. On the day of Chubun the length of day and night is almost the same and afterwards days gradually get shorter than nights.
This year’s Paengno and Chubun fall on September 7 and September 23 respectively.
From olden times, the Korean people gathered foxtail millet and other crops and sowed wheat and barley and they picked cotton in some regions in that period.
Medicinal herbs and wild fruits were gathered in mountainous regions.
Around Chubun, rice was harvested in paddy fields, soybean and other crops were gathered from dry fields and wheat and barley were planted in real earnest.
September 25 this year is Chusok (Harvest Moon Day), one of the greatest folk holidays of the Korean people.
Chusok means autumn evening and the Korean people enjoyed the folk holiday viewing the full moon in autumn when all kinds of cereals ripen. On the holiday, they first visited their forefathers’ graves to cut grass of them and hold memorial services arranging offerings made of new crops of the year. This was a reflection of the ennobling good manners and customs of the Korean people who always respect seniors and are polite and faithful to duty.
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Jo Aug 3, 2026
The Ryongwang Pavilion is located in Taedongmun-dong, Central District, Pyongyang.
It was built in the mid-6th century in the period of Koguryo Kingdom and rebuilt several times afterwards. The present site of the pavilion was originally the site of a general’s terrace in the east of the keep of the Walled City of Pyongyang during the period of the kingdom. As the walled city was renovated and named Sogyong during the Koryo Dynasty, the pavilion was rebuilt in the same place and named Sansu Pavilion in 1111. It was repaired several times later and rebuilt in 1670 during the feudal Joson dynasty and renamed Ryongwang Pavilion.
It has been known as one of the eight scenic spots in the northwestern part of Korea from olden times for the beautiful scenery. It was also called the “most beautiful pavilion” and “Manhwa Pavilion”. On the pavilion is a calligraphic hanging board inscribed with the letters “The most beautiful place in the world”.
The pavilion showcasing the excellent architecture of the Koreans is associated with the patriotic struggles of the ancestors who repulsed foreign invasions.
Although it was badly damaged by the brutal bombing by the enemy during the Fatherland Liberation War, it was restored soon in the postwar period. It is now under good preservation as a national treasure and serves as a cultural recreation site for working people.
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Jo Jul 6, 2026
The Kaesong Chomsongdae Observatory is an astronomical observatory from the period of Koryo Kingdom which is situated in the west of Manwoltae in Kaesong Municipality.
In view of its present position and the records of the History of Koryo, the observatory is believed to have been built in the early period of Koryo, when the Yongyong Palace was being built on Manwoltae. Now there remains only its granite platform. Originally, there were astronomical observation instruments on the platform.
The plane of the platform was square and the platform consisted of stone pillars and stone floors laid on the pillars. The platform is 2.8 metres high and each side of it is 2.6 metres long. The pillar stones number five, four standing at the four corners and one in the middle. The sides of the platform face the cardinal points. It was constructed accurately and solidly.
From the early period of its foundation Koryo had national agencies in charge of astronomical and meteorological observation to do relevant observation at astronomical observatories and record the results meticulously. The records of sunspots observed from 1105 to the closing years of Koryo number over 150.
The Kaesong Chomsongdae Observatory is a valuable legacy showing the state of astronomical observation and high architecture of Korea at that time.
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Jo Jun 7, 2026
Originally, the word sinsollo was the name of a vessel with a unique structure used to boil foods. Many years later, the name of the vessel came to indicate the food boiled in it.
Sinsollo is well-known to the world as a representative dish of the Korean cuisine, which has the best taste as if dainties of all lands and seas are put into one vessel and is also appealing to the eyes. Its broth is mainly made of chicken and fish and meat are used with gingko nuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, jujubes and walnuts.
Dozens of kinds of ingredients are used to make the dish.
Sinsollo is served with individual bowls as it is shared by several people.
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Jo Jun 3, 2026
The DPRK has a long history of making and eating jang (soybean paste and sauce).
The names of jang are derived from its making methods and features. In Korean, toenjang (soybean paste) means thick paste and kanjang (soybean sauce) means seasoning sauce.
According to historical data, jang has been called by different names. It was originally called si and later si and jang, and at last its name was fixed as jang. The word meju was used by Korean ancestors to call jang but later became to indicate the basic material of jang. In its nascent period, jang was today’s fermented soybean that was made by wrapping boiled soybean with rice straw, fermenting it on a heated floor and mixing it with salt. Later, they dried and powdered fermented soybean and soused it in salty water before eating. In the long course of their life, Koreans discovered that materials contained in jang have health-promoting effects and medicinal efficacies in the treatment and prevention of cerebral thrombosis.
Nowadays, wheat paste is widely applied in the people’s dietary life to enrich it.
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