Jo Oct 7, 2026
Ulmil Pavilion is a structure in Kyongsang-dong, Central District, Pyongyang, built on the site of northern command post in the inner wall of the Walled City of Pyongyang of Koguryo.
The name Ulmil is derived from a word meaning a flat upper hill.
Besides, according to legend, it was so named because in olden times Saint Ulmil came down from Heaven to have a good time there, and another legend runs that General Ulmil of Koguryo fought to defend the place.
The pavilion was first built in the mid-6th century as the northern command post of the keep of the Walled City of Pyongyang in the period of Koguryo and rebuilt in 1714.
Afterwards, it was repaired several times.
The embankment of the pavilion is about 11 metres high, so it looks like a very tall structure.
The pavilion towering above the embankment is also called “Sahojong” in a sense that it is situated in a picturesque place with an unobstructed, extensive view.
As it is decorated in the style of gorgeous morutanchong, it goes well with the surrounding natural environment.
The scene around the pavilion is among the eight famous scenes of Pyongyang, called “greeting the spring on Ulmil Pavilion”.
Ulmil Pavilion is associated with the Korean nation’s history of struggles against foreign aggressors, including Pyongyang people’s fight against Japanese invaders in the period of the Imjin Patriotic War (1592-1598).
The pavilion now serves as a resting site for working people and students visiting Moran Hill.
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Jo Oct 5, 2026
October is a rich period when the weather gets cool, mountains and fields put on beautiful autumnal tints and plump ears of crops ripen in paddy and dry fields.
The seasonal subdivisions in October are Hallo and Sanggang.
Hallo means the time when cold dew begins to fall and it falls on October 8 this year.
Sanggang means the coming of frost and it falls on October 23 this year.
After Sanggang, the weather gets cold and the temperature difference between day and night gets bigger.
October is a busy season with harvesting and threshing of grain.
The Korean people have eaten various dishes that suit the seasonal characteristics of the October seasonal subdivisions.
Typical of them are soybean dishes and loach soup.
They also played different kinds of folk games.
Especially, children’s favourite games of hide-and-seek, hopscotch and tail-taking were spectacular.
Thus, the Korean people have created and carried on diligent and diverse working life and customs of diet, dressing and folk games suited to the seasonal characteristics of the period of Hallo and Sanggang from olden times.
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Jo Sep 6, 2026
The Taedong Gate is the eastern gate of the Walled City of Pyongyang of Koguryo Kingdom (277 BC-668 AD) on the banks of the Taedong River in Taedongmun-dong in Central District of Pyongyang.
It was originally built as the eastern gate of the keep of the Walled City of Pyongyang, the capital of Koguryo, in the mid-6th century, and was rebuilt in 947 and 1392, the initial periods of the Koryo dynasty and the feudal Joson dynasty. The present structure was built in 1635.
It was the most important and biggest one among six gates of Pyongyang. It is 19 metres high. The embankment is 26.3 metres long, 14.25 metres wide and 6.5 metres high. In the middle of the embankment is an arch-shaped gateway whose four corners gradually widen outwards on the plane surface so that it can bear the weight of the structure.
The gate is considered as a typical example of gate construction of the feudal Joson dynasty embodying magnificence, beauty and airiness, as it has the architectural style and structural features of the early period of the feudal Joson dynasty, which inherited and developed the architectural art of Koryo.
Today, the gate serves as a recreational ground for the working people, youth and schoolchildren as it goes well with the Pyongyang Bell House, Ryongwang Pavilion and the Taedong River promenade’s flower bed facilities while boasting the long history of Pyongyang, which turned into a magnificent modern capital city.
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Jo Sep 3, 2026
In September there are seasonal subdivisions of Paengno and Chubun.
Paengno means the time when clear dew falls with a sign of autumn. Chubun means that summer completely gives way to autumn. On the day of Chubun the length of day and night is almost the same and afterwards days gradually get shorter than nights.
This year’s Paengno and Chubun fall on September 7 and September 23 respectively.
From olden times, the Korean people gathered foxtail millet and other crops and sowed wheat and barley and they picked cotton in some regions in that period.
Medicinal herbs and wild fruits were gathered in mountainous regions.
Around Chubun, rice was harvested in paddy fields, soybean and other crops were gathered from dry fields and wheat and barley were planted in real earnest.
September 25 this year is Chusok (Harvest Moon Day), one of the greatest folk holidays of the Korean people.
Chusok means autumn evening and the Korean people enjoyed the folk holiday viewing the full moon in autumn when all kinds of cereals ripen. On the holiday, they first visited their forefathers’ graves to cut grass of them and hold memorial services arranging offerings made of new crops of the year. This was a reflection of the ennobling good manners and customs of the Korean people who always respect seniors and are polite and faithful to duty.
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Jo Aug 3, 2026
The Ryongwang Pavilion is located in Taedongmun-dong, Central District, Pyongyang.
It was built in the mid-6th century in the period of Koguryo Kingdom and rebuilt several times afterwards. The present site of the pavilion was originally the site of a general’s terrace in the east of the keep of the Walled City of Pyongyang during the period of the kingdom. As the walled city was renovated and named Sogyong during the Koryo Dynasty, the pavilion was rebuilt in the same place and named Sansu Pavilion in 1111. It was repaired several times later and rebuilt in 1670 during the feudal Joson dynasty and renamed Ryongwang Pavilion.
It has been known as one of the eight scenic spots in the northwestern part of Korea from olden times for the beautiful scenery. It was also called the “most beautiful pavilion” and “Manhwa Pavilion”. On the pavilion is a calligraphic hanging board inscribed with the letters “The most beautiful place in the world”.
The pavilion showcasing the excellent architecture of the Koreans is associated with the patriotic struggles of the ancestors who repulsed foreign invasions.
Although it was badly damaged by the brutal bombing by the enemy during the Fatherland Liberation War, it was restored soon in the postwar period. It is now under good preservation as a national treasure and serves as a cultural recreation site for working people.
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Jo Jul 6, 2026
The Kaesong Chomsongdae Observatory is an astronomical observatory from the period of Koryo Kingdom which is situated in the west of Manwoltae in Kaesong Municipality.
In view of its present position and the records of the History of Koryo, the observatory is believed to have been built in the early period of Koryo, when the Yongyong Palace was being built on Manwoltae. Now there remains only its granite platform. Originally, there were astronomical observation instruments on the platform.
The plane of the platform was square and the platform consisted of stone pillars and stone floors laid on the pillars. The platform is 2.8 metres high and each side of it is 2.6 metres long. The pillar stones number five, four standing at the four corners and one in the middle. The sides of the platform face the cardinal points. It was constructed accurately and solidly.
From the early period of its foundation Koryo had national agencies in charge of astronomical and meteorological observation to do relevant observation at astronomical observatories and record the results meticulously. The records of sunspots observed from 1105 to the closing years of Koryo number over 150.
The Kaesong Chomsongdae Observatory is a valuable legacy showing the state of astronomical observation and high architecture of Korea at that time.
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