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Central District (Pyongyang)
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 Moranbong-guyok, to the northwest by Potonggang-guyok, and to the south by Pyongchon-guyok. Overview As the centre of Pyongyang, the district holds many of the city's most important buildings. The famous Kim Il-sung Square is located along the banks of the Taedong river, together with the Grand People's Study House, which is the national library of North Korea. Chung-guyok was once the historical centre of Pyongyang, and was almost completely obliterated during the Korean War by American bombing. Vestiges of the old city can still be seen, and the district is home to several of North Korea's National Treasures, including the rebuilt Potong and Taedong Gates, the Pyongyang Bell, the Ryongwang Pavilion, and the Sungryong and Sungin Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs used to pronounce them, and they are systematically modified to indicate phonetic features; similarly, the vowel letters are systematically modified for related sounds, making Hangul a featural writing system. It has been described as a syllabic alphabet as it combines the features of alphabetic and syllabic writing systems, although it is not necessarily an abugida. Hangul was created in 1443 CE by King Sejong the Great in an attempt to increase literacy by serving as a complement (or alternative) to the logographic Sino-Korean '' Hanja'', which had been used by Koreans as its primary script to write the Korean language since as early as the Gojoseon p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant works. A national library is that library which has the duty of collecting and preserving the literature of the nation within and outside the country. Thus, national libraries are those libraries whose community is the nation at large. Examples include the British Library, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.Line, Maurice B.; Line, J. (2011). "Concluding notes". ''National libraries'', Aslib, pp. 317–318Lor, P. J.; Sonnekus, E. A. S. (2010)"Guidelines for Legislation for National Library Services", IFLA. Retrieved on 10 January 2010. There are wider definitions of a national library, putting less emphasis to the repository character. National libraries are usually notable for their size, compared to that of other librarie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pyongyang Central Children's Palace
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 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 and Goguryeo, and served as the secondary capital of Goryeo. Much of the city was destroyed during the First Sino-Japanese War, 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, but was quickly rebuilt after the war with Soviet assistance. Pyongyang is the political, industrial and transport center of North Korea. It is home to Nor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Korea Stamp Museum
The Korea Stamp Museum ( ko, 조선우표박물관) is a postal museum in the Central District of Pyongyang, North Korea. History The Korea Stamp Museum opened on April 9, 2012 as part of the centennial celebration of the birth of Kim Il-sung after being upgraded to a museum from an exhibition hall for the Korea Stamp Corporation. The museum closed for renovations in 2018 as part of an expansion project and reopened on February 11, 2019. Description Located in between the Koryo Hotel and Pyongyang station, the Korea Stamp Museum is situated in a three floor building with awards from philatelic exhibitions housed in the ground level, a souvenir shop on the second floor, and an exhibition hall on the third floor. The exterior of the museum after its renovation was built to resemble a postage stamp and has a bronze statue of a dove holding a postcard while flying above the Earth located outside the building. The museum functions more as a shop than a museum to attract internationa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pyongyang First Department Store
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 the site of large commodity exhibitions. The store, along with two others, are reportedly run jointly with Chinese business partners. Shopping The store offers a variety of items including electronics, clothing, furniture, foodstuffs, kitchenware, and toys. , approximately 70 percent of the items in the store were produced domestically. The store is also one of several official tourist stops in the city. Department Store No. 1 accepts only local currency. According to the pro-North-Korean newspaper '' Choson Sinbo'', it is a popular shopping destination for local residents and in 2016 an average of 20,000 shoppers visited the store daily. Swedish journalist described her visit to the department store as a tourist in the mid 2000s. U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taedonggang Hotel
Taedonggang is a brand of North Korean beer brewed by the state-owned Taedonggang Brewing Company based in Pyongyang. There are four brands of beer marketed as Taedonggang, though the brand known simply as "Taedonggang Beer" is that described below. History In 2000, the North Korean government decided to acquire a brewery. At that point having good relationships with the West, via connections to Germany, the Government of North Korea bought the intact and still in place brewery plant of the closed Ushers of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England for £1.5 million via broker Uwe Oehms. Concerned it could be used for chemical weapons production, after assurances, Peter Ward, of brewing company Thomas Hardy Brewing and Packaging bought the plant and arranged for a team from North Korea to travel to Trowbridge to dismantle it. Reinstalled and operational from 2002, the brewery uses German-made computerized brewing control technology. Since then, North Korea has had a steady suppl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koryo Hotel
The Koryo Hotel is the second largest operating hotel in North Korea, the largest being the Yanggakdo Hotel. The Ryugyong Hotel is larger than both, but is not yet operating. The twin-towered Koryo Hotel building is 143 metres (469 ft) tall and contains 43 stories. Erected in 1985 under Kim Il-sung, it was intended to "showcase the glory and strength of the DPRK." The hotel is rated five stars by North Korea. A section of the hotel reportedly caught fire on 11 June 2015 due to undisclosed circumstances, leaving the bridge between the two buildings being badly damaged. Name "Koryo" is the name of an early kingdom which is the source of the English name "Korea". It is also used in the name of the North Korean airline, Air Koryo. The Koryo Hotel replaced an older hotel of the same name, but in a different location. For a time after 1946, the leader of North Korea's Democratic Party Cho Man-sik was kept under house arrest in the older Koryo Hotel. Location The hotel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sungin Hall
Sungin Hall (Hangul: 숭인전, Hanja: 崇仁殿) built in 1325 is one of the earliest shrines located at Chongno-dong, Chung-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea. It has been registered as No.4 National Treasure of North Korea. The hall faces Sungnyong Hall of Pyongyang students' palace. Originally, the hall included 10 another wings including annexes, grand gates (in each directions) and quarters. During Korean War, several annexes were demolished yet quarter and grate gate were restored, which was finally moved to the current site. Built during Goryeo Dynasty 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 ..., the hall shows the characteristics of architectural style during 14th century of Korea. A gable roof was decorated with beautiful dancheong, multicolored paintwork on wooden ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sungryong Hall
Sungnyong Hall is a shrine dedicated to the founding kings of ancient Korea located in the center of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is listed as National Treasure #6. History Sungnyong Hall was constructed in 1429 for the veneration of the mythical founder of the Korean nation, Tangun, and was originally called Tangun Hall. The shrine was enlarged under the Yi dynasty in 1725, as they sought to promote their legitimacy by emphasizing their connection to Tangun and promoting his veneration. The temple's name was changed to Sungnyong Hall after they expanded its dedication to include Tongmyong, the founder of the kingdom of Koguryo. The temple was bombed by US forces during the Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ..., which destroyed the caretaker's quarters and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryongwang Pavilion
Ryongwang Pavilion is a scenic overlook located in the central district of Pyongyang, North Korea. Located on the bank of the Taedong River, the pavilion was first constructed during the Goguryeo dynasty as "Sansu Pavilion", and was part of the defenses of the walled city of Pyongyang (along with the nearby Taedong Gate and Pyongyang Bell). It is labeled as National Treasure #16 in North Korea. History The pavilion first gained fame after Pyongyang was captured during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea in the 16th century; under the orders of General Kim Eung-seo, a kisaeng named Gye Wolhyang seduced and drugged the Japanese commander of Pyongyang, Konishi Hidanokami, in the pavilion. She then led General Kim to the sleeping commander, where he beheaded him; though Kim escaped, Kye was later executed for her role in the plot. Kim Ung So later returned to liberate Pyongyang in 1593 with the help of the Ming Chinese Army, and built a shrine to Wolhyang next to the pavil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pyongyang Bell
The Pyongyang Bell is one of the National Treasures of North Korea. The current bell was cast between June and September 1726 during the Ri dynasty to replace an earlier one that was destroyed by fire in 1714. The bell was rung to announce invasions, natural disasters, New Year's Day and other major events. In 1925, the bell was located on East Gate Street, inside the great East Gate of the city of Pyongyang. Details The bell is 3.1 m in height with a diameter at the mouth of 1.6 m. It weighs around 13 000 kg. The metal is 24 cm thick. It is made mostly of bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ..., but contains 35 different metals. A detailed record was kept on the casting of the bell. According to a 1925 report, the metals required to cast the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taedongmun
Taedong Gate is the eastern gate of the inner castle of the walled city of Pyongyang (Pyongyang Castle), and one of the National Treasures of North Korea. Located on the banks of the Taedong River, from which it gets its name, the gate was originally built in the sixth century as an official Koguryo construction, and, along with the Ryongwang Pavilion and Pyongyang Bell, served as the center of the inner castle's eastern defenses. The present construction dates from 1635, however, as the original was burnt to the ground during the Imjin wars of the late 16th century. The current gate features a granite base topped by a two-story pavilion, called the Euphoru Pavilion (읍호루, ), because of its grand views of the Taedong River. This pavilion houses two hanging name plaques, one, on the first storey, reading "Taedong Gate" and calligraphed Yang Sa-on, and the other, reading "Upho Pavilion", on the second storey and written by (박위). It is National Treasure #4 in North Korea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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