Chilgol () is a suburb of

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

in the

Mangyongdae District Man'gyŏngdae-guyŏk or Man'gyŏngdae District () is one of the 18 guyŏk (wards) that constitute P'yŏngyang, North Korea. It began as a village, Man'gyŏngdae-ri, South P'yŏngan Province and became a district of P'yŏngyang in September 19 ...

. Chilgol is known as the place where

Kang Pan-sok Kang Pan-sŏk ( ko, 강반석; 21 April 1892 – 31 July 1932) was the mother of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung. Biography She came from the village of Chilgol and raised Kim on a small farm in Mangyongdae, both near Pyongyang. She ac ...

, the mother of

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

's first

leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

, was born in 1892 and spent her childhood. The area features many buildings and fixtures related to Kim Il-sung's life. Kim attended Changdok School in Chilgol between 1923 and 1925. According to legend, Kang Pan-sok's father Kang Ton-uk founded the school, although in reality it had been established by the missionary Samuel A. Moffett. Kim Il-sung's desk, in the front of the classroom and left of the teacher, remains preserved there. There are statues for Kim Il-sung, Kang Pan-sok, and Kang Ton-uk, and a marked spot where Kim Il-sung used to read among the trees outside. Also on the premises is

Chilgol Church Chilgol Church () is one of the two Protestant churches in North Korea and is located on Kwangbok Street, Kwangbok in Chilgol in west Pyongyang. It is dedicated to Kang Pan-sok, who was a Presbyterian deaconess and the mother of Kim Il-sung. ...

, which Kang Pan-sok used to attend, sometimes with Kim Il-sung, and Chilgol Museum of Revolutionary History. The museum houses Kang Pan-sok's possessions including kitchen utensils. Kang Pan-sok Senior Middle School in Chilgol is named after her. Although

Mangyongdae Mangyongdae () is a neighborhood in Mangyongdae-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean propaganda claims Mangyongdae is the birthplace of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, although in his memoirs he wrote that he had been born in the nearby n ...

, also in Pyongyang, is traditionally considered the birthplace of Kim Il-sung, he wrote in his memoirs that he was in fact born in Chilgol where Kang Pan-sok had gone to give birth. Chilgol is designated as a

Revolutionary Site Revolutionary Sites () are designated historical sites in North Korea. The sites were designated by Kim Jong-il when he began working at the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1966. He would send troops all ov ...

, built up in July 1954. The Namchongang Trading Corporation is based in Chilgol. Oryu Valley nearby hosts a large strawberry farm.

References

Works cited

* * * {{coord missing, North Korea Geography of Pyongyang Historic sites in North Korea Kim dynasty (North Korea)

See also

References

Works cited