Kiringul () is a cave in
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 borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
said to have been the home of the ''
kirin'' (''
Qilin
The qilin ( ; ) is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. Qilin are a specific type of the mythological family of o ...
'' in Chinese), a mythical
chimeric beast that was reputedly ridden by
King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo
Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (), personal name Ko Chumong (), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. King Dongmyeong was also an important figure for the kingdom of ...
in the 1st century BC.
In November 2012, the state-owned
Korean Central News Agency
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) () is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946, and now features ...
reported that the site had been discovered in
Moranbong
Moranbong () or Moran Hill 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 on Moran Hill. They include the Arc ...
near the North Korean capital,
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
. The North Korean government claims that the discovery proves that Pyongyang is the historic capital of Korea. Analysts outside North Korea have put the announcement in the context of long-running North Korean attempts to link the country's regime with the ancient Korean kings, and so position it as the legitimate heir to the legacy of Goguryeo.
Discovery
On 29 November 2012, the North Korean state-owned
Korean Central News Agency
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) () is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946, and now features ...
reported that archaeologists "recently reconfirmed a lair of the unicorn by King
Tongmyong, founder of the Koguryŏ
oguryeoKingdom (BC 277–AD 668)."
The discovery was said to have been made by the History Institute of the at
Moranbong
Moranbong () or Moran Hill 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 on Moran Hill. They include the Arc ...
, Pyongyang, only from the site of the Buddhist temple
Yongmyongsa
Yongmyong Temple () was a Korean Buddhist temple located at the foot of Moranbong hill in Pyongyang, North Korea. Prior to its destruction in the Korean War, it was the largest and most important center of Buddhist worship in Pyongyang. It is unkn ...
.
According to the report, the words "Unicorn Lair" were found carved on a rock at the site.
The inscription is believed to date back to the period of the kingdom of
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
(918–1392).
The report also states this "proves that Pyongyang was a capital city of Ancient Korea".
Reaction and analysis

The report attracted widespread international coverage for the apparently bizarre nature of the claim to have found a "unicorn lair", but subsequent reports suggested that the Korean terminology had been mistranslated. The original Korean-language report referred not to a unicorn but to a (or in Chinese), a mythological chimera-like beast with "the body of a deer, the tail of a cow, hooves and a mane", as well as a single horn on its head. The creature was said to have been King Dongmyeong's favourite means of transport. The place in question is called Kiringul or "Kirin's Grotto". Despite the name, it was not literally supposed to have been a place where ' lived, but was instead a mythical name akin to the
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...
in Northern Ireland.
A report on ''
io9
''io9'' is a sub-blog of the technology blog ''Gizmodo'' that focuses on science fiction and fantasy pop culture, with former focuses on science, technology and futurism. It was created as a standalone blog in 2008 by editor Annalee Newitz under ...
'' noted that Kiringul had never actually been lost in the first place. An artificial tunnel in Pyongyang was described by researcher Jeon Kwan Su in a 2009 article, "" ("Study of the Kiringul Myth"), published in the Korean journal . The 2012 North Korean report was ambiguous about whether the discovery was of the cave itself, of an older inscription marking its location, or simply of the previously described site of Kiringul. It is not even clear whether the ancient capital of Goguryeo was located at Pyongyang in the first place.
Commentators pointed out that there was a substantial element of propaganda in the North Korean announcement. As Korea researcher Sixiang Wang notes, "The Kirin was supposed to appear to wise rulers. North Korean officials may have been hoping to secure Pyongyang's connection to the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo, while creating an association between their own
leader
Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations.
"Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
,
Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
, and the larger-than-life rulers of old."
A professor of Korean studies at
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...
referred to the discovery as "symbolic", and said the people of North Korea would accept it more as a morale "boost". The association of the new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with the ancient kingdom would give him "the legitimacy he lacks".
''
Foreign Policy
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
'' also noted the efforts of the North Korean regime to associate its leaders with ancient Korean kings, such as reconstructing King Dongmyeong's mausoleum and running propaganda stories linking Kim Jong-un with Goguryeo traditions. The North Korean government has also utilised its propaganda claims to the legacy of Goguryeo to score points against
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, its traditional rivals, over territorial and political disputes with those countries.
See also
*
Korean mythology
Korean mythology () is the group of myths told by historical and modern Koreans. There are two types: the written, literary mythology in traditional histories, mostly about the founding monarchs of List of monarchs of Korea, various historical k ...
*
Media coverage of North Korea
Media coverage of North Korea (officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is hampered by an extreme lack of reliable information, coupled with an abundant number of sensationalist falsehoods. There are a number of reasons for th ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
World Heritage Sites in North Korea
National Treasures of North Korea
Tourist attractions in Pyongyang
Geography of Pyongyang
Caves of North Korea
History of Pyongyang
Culture in Pyongyang
Places in Korean mythology
Goguryeo