Pyongyang (, , ) is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and largest city 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 ...

, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the

Taedong River The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening ...

about upstream from its mouth on the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...

. According to the 2008 population census, it has a population of 3,255,288. Pyongyang is a directly administered city () with equal status to North Korean provinces. Pyongyang is one of the oldest cities in Korea. It was the capital of two ancient Korean kingdoms,

Gojoseon Gojoseon () also called Joseon (), was the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary founder named Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in the Korean Pen ...

and

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

, and served as the secondary capital of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

. Much of the city was destroyed during the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

, but it was revived under Japanese rule and became an industrial center. Following the establishment of North Korea in 1948, Pyongyang became its ''de facto'' capital. The city was again devastated during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, but was quickly rebuilt after the war with

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

assistance. Pyongyang is the political, industrial and transport center of North Korea. It is home to North Korea's major

government institutions Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

, as well as the ruling

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of ...

which has its headquarters in the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a Chinese palace, palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples includ ...

Names

The city's other historic names include ''Ryugyong'', ''Kisong'', ''Hwangsong'', ''Rakrang'', ''Sŏgyong'', ''Sodo'', ''Hogyong'', ''Changan'', and ''Heijō'' (during

Japanese rule in Korea Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offici ...

). There are several variants. During the early 20th century, Pyongyang came to be known among missionaries as being the "

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

of the East", due to its historical status as a stronghold of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, namely

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, especially during the Pyongyang revival of 1907. After

Kim Il-sung's death Kim Il-sung died of a sudden heart attack on the early morning of 8 July 1994 at age 82. North Korea's government did not report the death for more than 34 hours after it occurred. An official mourning period was declared from 8–17 July, du ...

in 1994, some members of

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...

's faction proposed changing the name of Pyongyang to "Kim Il-sung City" (), but others suggested that North Korea should begin calling Seoul "Kim Il-sung City" instead and grant Pyongyang the moniker "Kim Jong-il City". In the end, neither proposal was implemented.

Prehistory

In 1955, archaeologists excavated evidence of prehistoric dwellings in a large ancient village in the Pyongyang area, called Kŭmtan-ni, dating to the

Jeulmun The Jeulmun pottery period is an archaeological era in Korean prehistory broadly spanning the period of 8000–1500 BC. This period subsumes the Mesolithic and Neolithic cultural stages in Korea,Choe and Bale 2002 lasting ca. 8000–35 ...

and

Mumun The Mumun pottery period is an archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC. This period is named after the Korean name for undecorated or plain cooking and storage vessels that form a large part of the pottery ...

pottery periods. North Koreans associate Pyongyang with the

mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

city of "

Asadal In Korean mythology and history, Asadal () was the capital city of the kingdom of Gojoseon (, meaning "Older Joseon"), the first Korean kingdom and notably founded by the legendary god-king Dangun. It is thought that Asadal was located in Manchu ...

" (), or ''

Wanggeom-seong Wanggeom-seong ( ko, 왕검성) was the capital city of Gojoseon from 194 to 108 BC. It is also known as ''Wangheom-seong'' (; 王險城). Conflicting opinions about its location One theory suggests the capital was around the modern city of Pyon ...

'' (), the first second millennium BC capital of

("Old Joseon") according to Korean historiographies beginning with the 13th-century ''

Samgungnyusa ''Samguk yusa'' () or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, duri ...

''. Historians deny this claim because earlier Chinese historiographical works such as the '' Guanzi'', ''

Classic of Mountains and Seas The ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', also known as ''Shan Hai Jing'', formerly romanized as the ''Shan-hai Ching'', is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may have existed sinc ...

'', ''

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...

'', and ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'', 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 a major city in old Joseon.

History

Tomb of King Tongmyong, Pyongyang, North Korea

Pyongyang was founded in 1122 BC on the site of the capital of the legendary king

Dangun Dangun (; ) or Dangun Wanggeom (; ) was the legendary founder and god-king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning province in Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gran ...

, which was in the location of Pyongyang, became the capital of

from 194 to 108 BC. It fell in the

Han conquest of Gojoseon The Han conquest of Gojoseon was a campaign launched by Emperor Wu of Han China against Wiman Joseon between 109 and 108 BCE. It resulted in the fall of Gojoseon and the establishment of the Four Commanderies of Han in the northern half of the ...

in 108 BC.

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign la ...

ordered four commanderies be set up, with

Lelang Commandery The Lelang Commandery was a commandery of the Han dynasty established after it had conquered Wiman Joseon in 108 BC and lasted until Goguryeo conquered it in 313. The Lelang Commandery extended the rule of the Four Commanderies of Han as far so ...

in the center and its capital established as "Joseon" (朝鮮縣, 조선현) at the location of Pyongyang. Several archaeological findings from the later,

Eastern Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

(20–220 AD) period in the Pyeongyang 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 The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

. As the capital of Nanglang (), Pyeongyang remained an important commercial and cultural outpost after the Lelang Commandery was destroyed by an expanding

in 313. Goguryeo moved its capital there in 427. According to

Christopher Beckwith Christopher I. Beckwith (born October 23, 1945) is an American philologist and distinguished professor in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He has a B.A. in Chinese from Ohio State Universi ...

, ''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 The Protectorate-General to Pacify the East () was an administrative division of the Chinese Tang dynasty in Manchuria and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. It was established after the Tang dynasty defeated Goguryeo and annexed its ter ...

established by the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

of China. However, by 676, it was taken by

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

, but left on the border between Silla and

Balhae Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It wa ...

. Pyongyang was left abandoned during the

Later Silla Unified Silla, or Late Silla (, ), is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after 668 CE. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alliance conquered Baekje and the southern part of Goguryeo in the ...

period, until it was recovered by

Wang Geon Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three ...

and decreed as the Western Capital of

. During the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

period, it became the provincial capital of

Pyeongan Province Pyeong-an Province (, ) was one of Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Pyeong'an was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Pyeongyang (now Pyongyang, North Korea). History Pyeong'an Province was formed in ...

. During the

Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, Pyongyang was captured by the Japanese and held until they were defeated in the Siege of Pyongyang. Later in the 17th century, it became temporarily occupied during the

Qing invasion of Joseon The Qing invasion of Joseon (Korean: Byeongja Horan) occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly-established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and ...

until peace arrangements were made between Korea and Qing China. While the invasions made Koreans suspicious of foreigners, the influence of

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 was called "the

of the East". In 1890, the city had 40,000 inhabitants. It was the site of the Battle of Pyongyang during the

, which led to the destruction and depopulation of much of the city. It was the provincial capital of South Pyeongan Province beginning in 1896. Under Japanese colonial rule, the city became an industrial center, called Heijō (with the same Chinese characters but read as ) in Japanese. In July 1931, the city experienced anti-Chinese riots as a result of the

Wanpaoshan Incident The Manbosan Sageon was a minor dispute between Chinese and Korean farmers which occurred on 1 July 1931. Through a series of false reports, the issue was highly sensationalized in the Imperial Japanese and Korean press, and used for considerabl ...

and the sensationalized media reports about it which appeared in Imperial Japanese and Korean newspapers. By 1938, Pyongyang had a population of 235,000.

After 1945

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 The Provisional People's Committee of North Korea was the provisional government of North Korea. The committee was established on 8 February 1946 in response for the need of the Soviet Civil Administration and the communists to have centralizatio ...

. A People's Committee was already established there, led by veteran Christian nationalist

Cho Man-sik Cho Man-sik ( ko, 조만식; pen-name Kodang; 1 February 1883 – 15 or 18 October 1950) was a nationalist activist in Korea's independence movement. He became involved in the power struggle that enveloped North Korea in the months following t ...

. 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 Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Pyongyang was again severely damaged in the

, 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 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 the government under

Moranbong Moranbong or Moran Hill (literally "PeonyHill", often "PeonyPeak") forms a park located in central Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Its summit is the location of the Pyongyang TV Tower. There are multiple monumental structures located o ...

. "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 The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, and many buildings were built in the style of

Stalinist architecture Stalinist architecture, mostly known in the former Eastern Bloc as Stalinist style () or Socialist Classicism, is the architecture of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, between 1933 (when Boris Iofan's draft for the Palace ...

. The plans for 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 Moscow Architectural Institute (State Academy) - MArchI (russian: Московский Архитектурный Институт (Государственная Академия) - МАрхИ) is a famous architecture school located in Moscow, ...

, designed the "Pyongyang City Reconstruction and Construction Comprehensive Plan" in 1951, and it was officially adopted in 1953. The transformation into a modern, propaganda-designed city called 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 Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...

) began. and in the 1972 Constitution it was officially declared as the capital. In 2001, North Korean authorities began a long-term modernisation programme. The Ministry of Capital City Construction Development was included in the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

in that year. In 2006, Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law

Jang Song-thaek Jang Song-thaek (January or February 1946 – 12 December 2013) was a leading figure in the government of North Korea. He was married to Kim Kyong-hui, the only daughter of North Korean Premier Kim Il-sung and his first wife Kim Jong-suk, and o ...

took charge of the ministry. Throughout the rule of

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...

a number of residential projects were constructed. In 2013 and 2014 residential projects dedicated to scientists were completed in Unha Scientists Street and Wisong Scientists Street while in 2015 residential project in

Mirae Scientists Street Mirae Scientists Street (''Future Scientists Street'') is a street in a newly developed area in Pyongyang to house scientific institutions of the Kim Chaek University of Technology and their employees. The six-lane street, located between Pyong ...

. In 2017, in dedication to the 105th birthday of the

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

and first leader,

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 ...

, 3,000 units built in the new Ryomyong Street complex. The second decade of the 2000s saw the construction of residential projects in Saesalim Street near the

Taedonggang Brewing Company The Taedonggang Brewing Company (Taedonggang, Chosongul: 대동강 맥주) is a state-owned North Korean beer brewery company that brews the Taedonggang beer. The brewery is located in East Pyongyang and has facilities of tens of thousands of squ ...

in Sadong District (2021), in Taephyong () as well as the Pothong Riverside Terraced Residential District located at the city center next to the Pothong River on a land previously used by the headquarters of the

International Taekwon-Do Federation International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) is an international taekwondo organization founded on March 22, 1966, by General Choi Hong Hi (Korean: 최홍희) in Seoul, South Korea. The ITF was founded to promote and encourage the growth of the Kor ...

which began construction in 2022. and which Kim Jong-un ordered to rename to 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” In addition to the residential projects, number of public buildings constructed including the Mansudae People’s Theater opened in 2012, the

Munsu Water Park Munsu Water Park ( ko, 문수물놀이장) is a state run water park located in the east of Pyongyang, North Korea, which opened to the public in November 2013. The park covers an area of with indoor and outdoor activities available all year r ...

which opened in 2013, the renovated and expanded Sunan International Airport and

Pyongyang Sci-Tech Complex The DPRK Sci-Tech Complex () is a science and technology centre housed in a large atom-shaped building located on Ssuk Island in Pyongyang, accessed by the Chungsong Bridge. It was completed in 2015. According to KBS World, it then had over 100,0 ...

both of which completed in 2015 the Samjiyon Orchestra Theater which was fitted out of the domed Korean People's Army Circus built in 1964, as well as the

Pyongyang General Hospital The Pyongyang General Hospital ( ko, 평양종합병원) is a hospital under construction in Pyongyang, North Korea. The hospital is located in front of Monument to Party Founding. Its groundbreaking took place on 19 March 2020, during the COVID-19 ...

of which construction started in 2020. Additional re-development projects occurred in the area around the Arch of Triumph where the Pyongyang People’s Hospital no. 1 was demolished as well as apartment blocks in the area of Inhŭng-dong, in

Moranbong-guyok Moranbong-guyŏk (), or the Moranbong District, is one of the 18 guyŏk which constitute the capital city of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is located north of Chung-guyok, the city's central district, and is bordered to the north by Sosong and Taeson ...

district and in the area of Sinwon-dong in

Potonggang-guyok Potonggang-guyok is one of the 18 districts, or guyok, of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is most famous as the location of the Ryugyong Hotel. It is named after the Pothong River (literally "the simple river"), which serves as the district's border on ...

which 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 was rebuilt. Pyongyang, alongside

, launched a bid to host the

2032 Summer Olympics The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032, will be an international multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featu ...

, but failed to make the joint city candidate list.

Geography

Pyongyang is in the west-central part of North Korea; the city lies on a flat plain about east of the

Korea Bay The Korea Bay, sometimes the West Korea Bay (; ; or ), is a bight and the northern extension of the Yellow Sea, between the southeastern coastline of China's Liaoning province and the western coastline of North Korea's North Pyongan, South P ...

, an arm of the

. The

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.

Climate

Pyongyang has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dwa''), featuring warm to hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Cold, dry winds can blow from

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

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 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 The East Asian Monsoon is a monsoonal flow that carries moist air from the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean to East Asia. It affects approximately one-third of the global population, influencing the climate of Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, Ch ...

taking place from June until September; these are also the hottest months, with average temperatures of , and daytime highs often above . Although largely transitional seasons, spring and autumn experience more pleasant weather, with average high temperatures ranging from in May and in September, coupled with relatively clear, sunny skies.

Politics

Major government and other public offices are located in Pyongyang, which 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 Chung-guyŏk (Central Ward) is one of the 18 '' guyok'' which constitute the city of Pyongyang, North Korea. The district is located in the center of the city, between the Pothonggang Canal and Taedong River, and is bordered to the north by Moranbo ...

. The

Cabinet of North Korea The Cabinet of North Korea (''Naegak'') is, according to the Constitution of North Korea, the administrative and executive body and a general state-management organ in the Government of North Korea. The Cabinet's principal newspaper is ''Minju C ...

is located in Jongro-dong,

. Pyongyang is also the seat of all major North Korean security institutions. The largest of them, the Ministry of People's 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 Traffic management is a key branch within logistics. It concerns the planning control and purchasing of transport services needed to physically move vehicles (for example aircraft, road vehicles, rolling stock and watercraft) and freight. Traffic ...

, fire safety,

civil defence Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

and

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

. Another significant structure based in the city is the

State Security Department The Ministry of State Security of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Korean: 조선민주주의인민공화국 국가보위성) is the secret police agency of North Korea. It is an autonomous agency of the North Korean government repo ...

, 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

, as they are in the national level. The city is managed by the Pyongyang Party Committee of the

and its chairman is the ''de facto''

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. 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.

Administrative status and divisions

P'yŏngyang is divided into 20 wards (''ku-'' or ''guyŏk'') ''(the city proper)'', 2 counties (''kun'' or ''gun''), and 1

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

(''dong''). *

(; ) *

Pyongchon-guyok P'yŏngch'ŏn-guyŏk (Phyongchon District) is one of the 18 '' guyŏk'' (political districts or wards) of P'yŏngyang, North Korea. It is bordered by the Taedong River in the south and the Pothonggang Canal in the north and Potong River in th ...

(; ) *

Sŏsŏng-guyŏk Sŏsŏng-guyŏk, or Sosong District, is one of the 18 guyŏk of Pyongyang, 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, Ko ...

(; ) *

Songyo-guyok Sŏn'gyo-guyŏk or Songyo District is one of the 18 guyŏk that constitute the city of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is on the eastern bank of the Taedong River at the center of East Pyongyang. It is bordered to the south by Nakrang-guyok, to the n ...

(; ) *

Tongdaewŏn-guyŏk Tongdaewŏn-guyŏk or Tongdaewon District is one of the 18 wards, and one of the six that constitute East Pyongyang, North Korea. It sits on the eastern bank of the Taedong River The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North K ...

(; ) *

Taedonggang-guyŏk Taedonggang-guyŏk ( ko, 대동강구역), or Taedong River District, is one of the 18 guyŏk, and one of the six that constitute East Pyongyang, North Korea. Taedonggang-guyŏk is on the eastern bank of the Taedong River, north of Tongdaewŏn-g ...

(; ) *

Sadong-guyŏk Sadong-guyŏk, or Sadong District, is one of the 18 guyŏk, and one of the six, that constitute East Pyongyang, North Korea. It is on the eastern bank of the Taedong River, and the mouth of the Nam River. It is north of Ryŏkp'o-guyŏk (Ryokpho ...

(; ) *

Taesong-guyok Taesŏng-guyŏk, or Taesŏng District is one of the 18 '' guyok'' that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern ha ...

(; ) *

Mangyongdae-guyok 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 ...

(; ) *

Hyongjesan-guyok Hyŏngjesan-guyŏk, or Hyŏngjesan District is one of the 18 guyŏk that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea. Administrative divisions Hyŏngjesan-guyŏk is divided into 15 ''tong Tong may refer to: Chinese *Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese h ...

(; ) * Hwasong-guyok (; ) *

Ryongsong-guyok Ryongsŏng-guyŏk, or Ryongsŏng District (룡성구역) is one of the 18 guyŏk that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea. Ryongsong Residence, the main residence of Kim Jong-un is located in this district. Administrative divisions Ryongsŏng-guyŏ ...

(; ) *

Samsok-guyok Samsŏk-kuyŏk, or Samsŏk District is one of the 18 kuyŏk that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea. Administrative divisions Samsŏk-kuyŏk is divided into 4 ''tong Tong may refer to: Chinese *Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when ...

(; ) *

Ryokpo-guyok Ryŏkp'o-guyŏk, or Ryŏkp'o District, is one of the 18 wards (guyŏk) that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea. This is where part of the Goguryeo tombs Goguryeo tombs, officially designated as the Complex of Koguryo Tombs, are tombs in North Ko ...

(; ) *

Rakrang-guyok Rangrang-guyŏk or Rangrang District is one of the 18 ''kuyŏk'' that constitute the city of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is located south of the Taedong River, and is bordered to the north by Songyo-guyok, to the east by the Ryokpo-guyok, and to ...

(; ) * Sunan-guyŏk (; ) *

Unjong-guyok Ŭnjŏng-guyŏk, or Ŭnjŏng District is one of the 18 guyŏk that constitute Pyongyang, 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 ...

(; ) *

Kangdong County Kangdong County, is one of Pyongyang's two suburban counties. In 1983 it was separated from South P'yongan Province and assumed direct governance by the Pyongyang City People's Committee. It is bordered by Sŏngch'ŏn-gun (Songchon County), South ...

(; ) *

Kangnam County Kangnam County is one of the two suburban counties of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is north-west of Songrim, north-east of Hwangju County, west of Chunghwa County, and south of Nakrang-guyok. It is the location of cooperative farms and smaller ind ...

(; ) * Banghyun Dong (; ) Foreign media reports in 2010 stated that

Kangnam-gun Kangnam County is one of the two suburban counties of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is north-west of Songrim, north-east of Hwangju County, west of Chunghwa County, and south of Nakrang-guyok. It is the location of cooperative farms and smaller indu ...

Chunghwa-gun Chunghwa County is a county of North Hwanghae, formerly one of the four suburban counties of East Pyongyang, North Korea. It sits north of Hwangju-gun, North Hwanghae, east of Kangnam-gun, North Hwanghae, west of Sangwŏn-gun, North Hwanghae, an ...

, Sangwŏn-gun, and

Sŭngho-guyŏk Sŭngho or Sŭngho-gun is a county of North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. It was formerly one of the 19 kuyŏk that constitute P'yŏngyang, but in 2010, it was administratively reassigned from P'yŏngyang to North Hwanghae; foreign media attri ...

had been transferred to the administration of neighboring

North Hwanghae North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is Sari ...

province. However, Kangnam-gun was returned to Pyongyang in 2011. Banghyun Dong, a missile base, was administrated by

Kusong Kusŏng () is a city in central North Pyongan province, North Korea. It borders Taegwan to the north, Taechon to the east, Kwaksan and Chongju to the south, and Chonma to the west. The highest point is Chongryongsan (청룡산, 920 m). The ye ...

North Pyongan Province North Pyongan Province (Phyŏnganbukto; , also spelled North P'yŏngan), is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, th ...

. It had been transferred to the administration of P'yŏngyang on February 10, 2018.

Cityscape

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,

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s and decorated ceilings. Its Russian-style architecture makes it reminiscent of a

n 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. The streets are laid out in a north–south, east–west grid, giving the city an orderly appearance. North Korean designers applied 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 tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

, a public bathhouse, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, a clinic, a library and others. Many residents occupy high-rise apartment buildings. One of Kim Il-sung's priorities while designing Pyongyang was to limit the population. Authorities maintain a restrictive regime of movement into the city, making it atypical of

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

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, the Arch of Triumph and the

Mansu Hill Grand Monument The Mansu Hill Grand Monument (Chosŏn'gŭl: 만수대대기념비; Hanja: 萬壽臺大紀念碑) is a complex of monuments in Pyongyang, North Korea. There are 229 figures in all, commemorating the history of the revolutionary struggle of the Ko ...

. The first of them is a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

spire symbolizing the ''

Juche ''Juche'' ( ; ), officially the ''Juche'' idea (), is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il-sung, the country's founder and ...

'' 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 Ryugyong Hotel (; sometimes spelled as Ryu-Gyong Hotel), or Yu-Kyung Hotel, more commonly known outside of North Korea as the "Hotel of Doom", is an unfinished 105-story, pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea. Its name ("cap ...

, the seventh highest building in the world terms of floor count, the tallest unoccupied building in the world, and one of the

tallest hotels in the world Tall commonly refers to: *Tall, a degree of height **Tall, a degree of human height Tall may also refer to: Places * Tall, Semnan, a village in Semnan Province of Iran * River Tall, a river in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Arts. entertainmen ...

. 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

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 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.

Landmarks

Views from Yanggakdo International Hotel 10

Notable landmarks in the city include: * the

* the

Kumsusan Palace of the Sun The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun (), formerly the Kumsusan Memorial Palace (), is a building near the northeast corner of the city of Pyongyang that serves as the mausoleum for Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, and for his son Kim Jong-il, bo ...

* the Arch of Triumph (heavily inspired by, but larger than,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

) * the birthplace of

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 ...

Hill at the city outskirts * ''Juche'' Tower * two large stadiums: **

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium occupying an area of on Rungra Island, Pyongyang, North Korea. It opened on 1 May 1989, with its first major event being the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. It is the seco ...

Kim Il-sung Stadium Kim Il-sung Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea. The stadium is used primarily for association football matches. History Kim Il-sung Stadium was originally named the Girimri Stadium (기림� ...

* the Mansu Hill complex, including the

Korean Revolution Museum The Korean Revolution Museum (), located in Pyongyang, North Korea, was founded on August 1, 1948, and holds a large exhibition of items related to Kim Il Sung and the Korean revolutionary movement. It is situated behind the Mansu Hill Grand Monume ...

Kim Il-sung Square __NOTOC__ Kim Il-sung Square is a large city square in the Central District of Pyongyang, North Korea, and is named after the country's founding leader, Kim Il-sung. The square was constructed in 1954 according to a master plan for reconstructing ...

Yanggakdo International Hotel The Yanggakdo International Hotel is the largest operating hotel in North Korea, pending the completion of the Ryugyong Hotel, and the country's seventh- or eighth-tallest building. The hotel is located on Yanggak Island in the River Taedong, to ...

Pyongyang TV Tower Pyongyang TV Tower is a free-standing concrete TV tower with an observation deck and a panorama restaurant at a height of in Pyongyang, North Korea. The tower stands in Kaeson Park in Moranbong-guyok, north of Kim Il-sung Stadium. The tower bro ...

is a minor landmark. Other visitor attractions include the

Korea Central Zoo The Korea Central Zoo, also referred to as the Pyongyang Central Zoo, is the national zoo of North Korea. It is located near Taesŏngsan mountain in downtown Pyongyang. The zoo has over 5,000 wild animals, comprising a total of 650 species, an ...

. The

Arch of Reunification The Arch of Reunification, officially the Monument to the Three-Point Charter for National Reunification, is a sculptural arch located south of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It was opened in August 2001 to commemorate Korean reunificat ...

has a map of a united Korea supported by two concrete Korean women dressed in traditional dress straddling the

Reunification Highway The Reunification Highway, officially known as the Pyongyang-Kaesong Motorway (), is a controlled-access highway in North Korea. It connects the capital Pyongyang to the Joint Security Area at the Korean Demilitarized Zone via Sariwon and Kaesong. ...

, which stretches from Pyongyang to the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone (Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ha ...

(DMZ). File:Juche Tower (7399212056).jpg, ''Juche'' Tower Monument to the philosophy of ''

'' (self-reliance) File:PyongYang-Arch of Triumph.jpg, Arch of Triumph File:Monument-to-National-Reunification-2014.jpg,

, a monument to the goal of a reunified Korea File:Party-Foundation-Monument.jpg,

Monument to Party Founding The Monument to Party Founding () is a monument in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. The monument is rich in symbolism: its hammer, sickle and calligraphy brush symbolize the workers, farmers and intellectuals. It is 50 meters high to sym ...

File:Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Pyongyang.jpg,

File:Tomb of King Tongmyong, Pyongyang, North Korea-1.jpg, Tomb of King Tongmyeong File:Ryugyong Hotel - August 27, 2011 (Cropped).jpg,

File:Ryomyong Street.png,

Ryomyong New Town Ryomyong New Town ( ko, 려명거리신도시) refers to a new town located in Pyongyang, North Korea. The exact location is Ryomyong Avenue which refers from Yongsaengtap to Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Taesong-guyok. Name The name "Ryomyon ...

File:Mirae Scientists Street - Nordkorea 2015 - Pjöngjang (22971791331).jpg,

File:Rungnado May Day Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea (2910089252).jpg,

Rungrado May Day Stadium The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium occupying an area of on Rŭngrado, Rungra Island, Pyongyang, North Korea. It opened on 1 May 1989, with its first major event being the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. It is ...

Culture

Cuisine

Pyongyang served as the provincial capital of

South Pyongan Province South Pyongan Province (Phyŏngannamdo; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Pyongan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its ca ...

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 the dish is served in a cold broth. ''Raengmyŏn'' consists of thin and chewy buckwheat noodles in a cold meat-broth with ''

dongchimi ''Dongchimi'' is a variety of kimchi consisting of Korean radish, napa cabbage, scallions, jangajji, pickled green chili pepper, chilli, ginger, Pyrus pyrifolia, Korean pear and watery brine in Korean cuisine. As the name ''dong'' (hangul: 동; ...

'' (watery kimchi) and topped with a slice of sweet

Korean pear ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' is a species of pear tree native to East Asia. The tree's edible fruit is known by many names, including: Asian pear, Japanese pear, Chinese pear, Korean pear, Taiwanese pear, apple pear, zodiac pear, three-halves pear, pa ...

. Pyongyang ''raengmyŏn'' was originally eaten in homes built with ''

ondol Ondol (; , Hangul: 온돌, 溫堗, ) or gudeul (Hangul: 구들, ) in Korean traditional architecture, is underfloor heating that uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor. In modern usage it refers ...

'' (traditional

underfloor heating Underfloor heating and cooling is a form of central heating and cooling that achieves indoor climate control for thermal comfort using hydronic or electrical heating elements embedded in a floor. Heating is achieved by conduction, radiation and ...

) during the cold winter, so it is also called ''"Pyongyang deoldeori"'' (shivering in Pyongyang). Pyongyang locals sometimes enjoyed it as a ''

haejangguk ''Haejang-guk'' * (, 解酲-) or hangover soup refers to every kind of ''guk'' or soup eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine. It means "soup to chase a hangover" and is also called ''sulguk'' (). It usually consists of dried napa cabbage, ...

'', which is any type of food eaten as a hangover-cure, usually a warm soup. Another representative Pyongyang dish, ''

Taedonggang sungeoguk ''Sungeo-guk'' () is a variety of ''guk'', or Korean soup, made with flathead grey mullet and black pepper. It has a clear broth seasoned with salt, minced garlic, ginger juice and chopped scallions. During ancient times, the flathead grey mu ...

'', translates as "flathead grey mullet soup from the

". The soup features

flathead grey mullet The flathead grey mullet (''Mugil cephalus'') is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically . It is known with numerous English names, ...

(abundant in the Taedong River) along with black peppercorns and salt. Traditionally, it has been served to guests visiting Pyongyang. Therefore, there 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 ''Bindae-tteok'' (), or mung bean pancake, is a type of ''buchimgae'' (Korean pancake) that originated in the Pyongan Province. * It is made by grinding soaked mung beans, adding vegetables and meat and pan-frying it into a round, flat shape. Et ...

'' (pancakes made from ground mung beans and vegetables).

Social life

In 2018, there were many high quality restaurants in Pyongyang with Korean and international food, and imported alcoholic beverages. Famous restaurants include

Okryu-gwan Okryu-gwan or Okryu Restaurant is a restaurant in Pyongyang, North Korea, founded in 1960. South Korea analyst Andrei Lankov describes it as one of two restaurants, the other being Ch'ongryugwan, which have "defined the culinary life of Pyongy ...

and Ch'ongryugwan. Some

street food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

s exist in Pyongyang, where vendors operate

food stall A food kiosk or food booth (also food stand, temporary food service facility) is generally a temporary structure used to prepare and sell food to the general public, usually where large groups of people are situated outdoors in a park, at a parade ...

s. Foreign foods like hamburgers, fries, pizza, and coffee are easily found. There is an active nightlife with late-night restaurants and karaoke. The city has water parks,

amusement parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, skating rinks, health clubs, a shooting range, and a dolphinarium.

Sports

Pyongyang has a number of sports clubs, including the

April 25 Sports Club April 25 Sports Club (, ''Sa i o ch'eyuktan''), or 4.25 SC for short, or sometimes April 25 National Defence Sports Club (4.25'국방체육단', ''Sa i o ch'eyuktan "Kukpang ch'eyuktan"''), is a multi-sports club based in P'yŏngyang, North Ko ...

and the

Pyongyang City Sports Club Pyongyang Sports Club () is a North Korean organization of education specialty with several departments.http://www.korea-np.co.jp/news/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=21687 This organization is based in Pyongyang and plays at the Kim Il-sung Stad ...

Economy

Pyongyang is North Korea's industrial center. Thanks to the abundance of natural resources like

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, as well as good land and water transport systems, it 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 A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

, industrial ceramics, munitions and weapons, but mechanical engineering remains the core industry. Light industries in Pyongyang and its vicinity include

textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

, footwear and food, among others. Special emphasis is put on the production and supply of fresh produce and subsidiary crops in farms on the city's outskirts. Other crops include

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

sweetcorn Sweet corn (''Zea mays'' convar. ''saccharata'' var. ''rugosa''), also called sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive muta ...

and

soybeans The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

. 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 Chagang Province (Chagangdo; ) is a province in North Korea; it is bordered by China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South Pyongan to the south, and North Pyongan to the west. Chagang was ...

and supply 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 Ch'ŏngch'ŏn is a river of North Korea having its source in the Rangrim Mountains of Chagang Province and emptying into the Yellow Sea at Sinanju. The river flows past Myohyang-san and through the city of Anju, South P'yŏngan Province. It ...

. 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 station A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a stea ...

s. These include Pyongyang TPS with a capacity of 500 MW, East Pyongyang TPS with a capacity of 50 MW, and Kangdong TPS which is under construction.

Retail

Pyongyang is home to several large department stores including the

Pothonggang Department Store The Pothonggang Department Store ( ko, 보통강백화점) is a department store in Pyongyang, North Korea. It is located near the Pothong River ("Pothonggang" in Korean). The Pothonggang Department Store was officially opened by Kim Jong-il in ...

Pyongyang Department Store No. 1 The Pyongyang Department Store No. 1 ( ko, 평양제1백화점) is a major retail store in Pyongyang, North Korea. On Sungri Street near Kim Il-sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, it is one of the largest retail stores in the country and is often ...

, 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, a chain of state-owned convenience stores supplying goods at prices cheaper than those in the

jangmadang Jangmadang (), , are North Korean local markets, farmers' markets, black markets and bazaars. Since the North Korean famine in the 1990s, they have formed a large informal economy, and the government has become more lenient towards them. Howeve ...

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.

Transportation

Pyongyang is also the main transport hub of the country: it has a network of roads, railways and air routes which link it to both foreign and domestic destinations. It is the starting point of inter-regional highways reaching Nampo, Wonsan and Kaesong. Pyongyang railway station serves the main railway lines, including the

Pyongui Line The P'yŏngŭi Line is an electrified main trunk line of the Korean State Railway of North Korea, running from P'yŏngyang to Sinŭiju on the border with China.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), It is the main cor ...

and the

Pyongbu Line The P'yŏngbu Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the Korean State Railway running from P'yŏngyang to Kaesŏng in North Korea and further south across the DMZ to Seoul in South Korea; the name comes from the two (theoretical) te ...

. Regular international rail services to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, the Chinese border city of

Dandong Dandong (), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea across the ...

and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

are also available. A rail 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 Dandong takes about 6 hours (daily); a journey to Moscow takes six days. The city also connects to the

Eurasian Land Bridge The Eurasian Land Bridge (), sometimes called the New Silk Road (, ), is the rail transport route for moving freight and passengers overland between Pacific seaports in the Russian Far East and China and seaports in Europe. The route, a transco ...

via the

Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the ea ...

. A

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

link to Wonsan is planned. The

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

and trolleybus systems are used mainly by commuters as a primary means of urban transportation. Cycle lanes were introduced on main thoroughfares in July 2015. There are relatively few

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

s in the city. Cars are a symbol of status in the country due to their scarcity as a result of restrictions on import because of international sanctions and domestic regulations. Some roads are also reported to be in poor condition. However, by 2018, Pyongyang had begun to experience traffic jams. State-owned

Air Koryo Air Koryo () is the state-owned national airline of North Korea, headquartered in Sunan-guyŏk, Pyongyang. Based at Pyongyang International Airport (IATA: FNJ), it operates international scheduled and charter services to points in Asia. Histo ...

has scheduled international flights from

Pyongyang Sunan International Airport Pyongyang International Airport () , also known as the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, is the main airport serving Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It is located in the city's Sunan District. and the only two foreign countries se ...

to Beijing ( PEK),

Shenyang Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a major China, Chinese sub-provincial city and the List of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Lia ...

(

SHE She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

( VVO),

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

( PVG) and

. The only domestic destinations are

Hamhung Hamhŭng (''Hamhŭng-si''; ) is North Korea's second-largest List of cities in North Korea, city, and the capital of South Hamgyong, South Hamgyŏng Province. It has an estimated population of 768,551. Located in the southern part of the South Ham ...

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

Chongjin Chŏngjin (; ) is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province (함경북도) and the country's third largest city. It is sometimes called the ''City of Iron''. History Prehistory According to archaeological findings near the lower ...

Hyesan Hyesan () is a city in the northern part of Ryanggang province of North Korea. It is a hub of river transportation as well as a product distribution centre. It is also the administrative centre of Ryanggang Province. As of 2008, the population o ...

and

Samjiyon Samjiyŏn is a city in Ryanggang Province, North Korea. It takes its name from three lakes in the city, which are collectively known as the Samjiyŏn. Samjiyŏn is situated near Mount Paektu, and tour groups fly to the city's airport to see th ...

. Since 31 March 2008,

Air China Air China Limited () is the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China and one of the "Big Three" mainland Chinese airlines (alongside China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines). Air China's headquarters are in Shunyi District, ...

launched a regular service between Beijing and Pyongyang, although Air China's flights are often canceled due to lack of passengers.

Education and science

Kim Il-sung University Kim Il-sung University, founded on 1 October 1946, is the first university built in North Korea. It is located on a campus in Pyongyang, the nation's capital. Along with the main academic buildings, the campus contains 10 separate offices, 50 l ...

, North Korea's oldest university, was established in 1946. It has 21 faculties, 4 research institutes, and 10 other university units. These include the primary medical education and health personnel training unit, the medical college; a physics faculty which covers a range of studies including

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

, optical science,

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

and

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

; an atomic energy institute and the largest law firm in the country (Ryongnamsan Law Office). Kim Il-sung University also has its own publishing house, sports club (

Ryongnamsan Sports Club Ryongnamsan Sports Club (Chosŏn'gŭl: 룡남산체육단; Hanja: 龍南山體育團) is a North Korean multi-sports club based in P'yŏngyang and affiliated with Kim Il-sung University. They play football in the DPR Korea League. Ryongnamsan is a ...

), revolutionary museum, nature museum, libraries, a gym, indoor swimming pool and educator apartment houses. Its four main buildings were completed in 1965 (Building 1), 1972 (Building 2), and 2017 (Buildings 3 and 4). Kim Il-sung University computer room

Other higher education establishments include

Kim Chaek University of Technology Kim Chaek University of Technology is a university in North Korea, on the banks of the Taedong River in Pyongyang. It is named after General Kim Chaek. The university's programs in nuclear reactors, nuclear electronics, nuclear fuel and nuclear ...

Pyongyang University of Music and Dance The Pyongyang University of Music and Dance is a North Korean performing arts university founded in July 1972 in the Taedonggang District of Pyongyang from a merge with the Pyongyang Art College. Its facilities include a full orchestra and a musi ...

and

Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies The Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies is a five-year university in Pyongyang, North Korea, specializing in language education. History The university was split off from Kim Il-sung University in 1964. North Korea's state-run Korean Cent ...

. Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) is the country's first private university where most of the lecturers are American and courses are carried out in English. A science and technology hall is under construction on Ssuk Islet. Its stated purpose is to contribute to the "informatization of educational resources" by centralizing teaching materials, compulsory literature and experimental data for state-level use in a digital format.

Sosong-guyok Sŏsŏng-guyŏk, or Sosong District, is one of the 18 guyŏk of Pyongyang, 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, Ko ...

hosts a 20

MeV In physics, an electronvolt (symbol eV, also written electron-volt and electron volt) is the measure of an amount of kinetic energy gained by a single electron accelerating from rest through an Voltage, electric potential difference of one volt i ...

cyclotron A cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator invented by Ernest O. Lawrence in 1929–1930 at the University of California, Berkeley, and patented in 1932. Lawrence, Ernest O. ''Method and apparatus for the acceleration of ions'', filed: Janu ...

called MGC-20. The initial project was approved by the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

(IAEA) in 1983 and funded by the IAEA, the United States and the North Korean government. The cyclotron was ordered from the

in 1985 and constructed between 1987 and 1990. It is used for student training, production of medical isotopes for

nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is "radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emitting ...

as well as studies in biology, chemistry and physics.

Health care

Medical centers include the Red Cross Hospital, the First People's Hospital which is located near Moran Hill and was the first hospital to be built in North Korea after the

liberation of Korea The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

in 1945, the Second People's Hospital, Ponghwa Recuperative Center (also known as

Bonghwa Clinic The Ponghwa Clinic and Hospital(봉화진료소) is a hospital located in Sinwŏn-dong, Potonggang-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea, and is believed to be one of the top hospitals in North Korea, treating members of the political elite. It is administ ...

or Presidential Clinic) located in Sokam-dong,

, northwest of

, Pyongyang Medical School Hospital, Namsan Treatment Center which is adjacent

Pyongyang's Maternity Hospital The Pyongyang Maternity Hospital () is a maternity and teaching hospital in Pyongyang. Nurses and midwives are educated in the hospital for work outside the North Korean capital. There is a neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital. In addition ...

, Taesongsan General Hospital, Kim Man-yoo Hospital, Staff Treatment Center and Okryu Children's Hospital. A new hospital named

began construction in Pyongyang in 2020.

Twin towns – sister cities

Pyongyang is twinned with: *

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

, Iraq *

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

, Thailand *

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, United Arab Emirates *

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, Indonesia *

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

, Nepal *

, Russia *

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

, China *

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...

, Mongolia

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* . *

External links

Interactive virtual tour
Aerial view of Pyongyang city

Panoramic view of Pyongyang city *
North Korea Uncovered
( North Korea Google Earth), a comprehensive mapping of North Korea, including all of the locations mentioned above, on

Google Earth Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...

Holidays in Pyongyang

City profile of Pyongyang
*

Pyongyang at night

* * {{Authority control Capitals in Asia Directly Governed Cities and Special Administrative Regions of North Korea Socialist planned cities 12th-century BC establishments

Names

Prehistory

History

After 1945

Geography

Climate

Politics

Administrative status and divisions

Cityscape

Landmarks

Culture

Cuisine

Social life

Sports

Economy

Retail

Transportation

Education and science

Health care

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Pyongyang at night