Jo Sep 1, 2025
Jongum Gate is the southern gate of the northern castle of the Walled City of Pyongyang in the period of Koguryo. It is on Moran Hill in Pyongyang City.
First built in the mid-sixth century, it was repaired and reconstructed several times.
The present gatehouse, which was rebuilt in 1714 and burnt down during the past Fatherland Liberation War, was restored to the original state in 1959.
The embankment piled up with smoothly faced granite has a beautiful stable arched gateway, which is about 3 meters wide, 3.4 meters high and 6.35 meters long.
On the embankment is a gate house, which is three kans (7.36 meters) long and two kans (4.35 meters) wide.
Jongum Gate is a precious cultural relic that demonstrates the excellent architecture of the Korean ancestors and their patriotic spirit of bravely fighting against foreign aggressors.
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Jo Aug 11, 2025
A jottae (a Korean bamboo flute) is a national woodwind instrument from the period of Koguryo. It was also called transverse flute as it is played transversely. It was first made in Koguryo. In Paekje and Silla, they introduced the Koguryo jottae to make several kinds of bamboo instruments. Later, around the period of Koryo and feudal Joson dynasty, it became a major tune instrument. Its mouthpiece is oval and very big, which requires high technical skills to play.
You play the jottae with its head on your left shoulder and with your lips at the mouthpiece. You make vibrato by means of the up-and-down movements of your left elbow connected with the jottae. It is characterized by the gentle, soft, sweet and elegant timbre.
The Korean bamboo flute widely played by the Korean people was improved into three kinds: ordinary jottae, high-pitched jottae and low-pitched jottae, and it developed into the one capable of playing modern music skillfully with its peculiar features unchanged.
The improved ones are made of wood from paktal trees and red sandalwood instead of bamboo, which guarantees scientific accuracy and unity in their making.
Today, the Korean bamboo flute is mainly used for solos and ensembles, and, in particular, it is used as a major instrument for elegant and plaintive tones in the mixed orchestral music of a Juche type.
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Jo Aug 6, 2025
Sungin Hall is a shrine built at the end of the Koryo age, standing together with Sungnyong Hall by the Pyongyang Students and Children’s Palace.
It was first built in 1325 in the late period of Koryo. It underwent three thorough repairs in 1352 and 1428 and finally in 1954 immediately after the Fatherland Liberation War, to be in the present state.
Sungin Hall, which was originally comprised of 10-odd buildings including the main building, was damaged by the aggressors during the Imjin Patriotic War and the Fatherland Liberation War, as a result of which only the main building, the gate and the monument pavilion survived. The central building alone was moved next to Sungnyong Hall in 1977.
This building for ancestor worship was promoted in its name in 1612 to be called Sungin Hall. It is a precious historical relic that demonstrates the excellent architecture of Koryo, providing a lot of information for studying the architectural history of Korea.
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Jo Aug 2, 2025
Pobun Hermitage is a Buddhist temple located on Mt. Ryongak. The present buildings underwent reconstruction during the feudal Joson dynasty.
The hermitage was built during the period of Koguryo, which is proved by the fact that the way of trimming the stones piled for the stereobate is the same as those for Koguryo citadels and that some convex roofing tiles and antefixes were discovered, as well as by the epitaph and other records.
With bluff cliffs in the background, Pobun Hermitage, which consists of five buildings including the main temple, is well suited to the topographical conditions of Mt. Ryongak.
The main temple of the hermitage erected on the raised stereobate is five kans (10.27 meters) long and three kans (6.2 meters) wide.
The hermitage, the precious national cultural heritage associated with the talent of the Korean people, is now in good preservation and care.
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Jo Jul 16, 2025
Josonjol (Korean bow), the traditional greeting of the Korean nation, is divided into sonjol (a bow in a standing position) and anjunjol (a bow in a kneeling position).
It was a common practice that anjunjol was usually made indoors and sonjol was made outdoors.
Anjunjol is made on the knees with the upper body bent down. It is subdivided into deep, common and half bows according to the degree of bending the body and bowing the heads.
As the deep bows of anjunjol were regarded as the most courteous, they were usually made on ceremonial occasions and to the elderly and people of high social status for the greatest courtesy. The common bows of anjunjol were similar to the deep bows and they were made to the elders such as parents, parents-in-law and teachers, between relatives by marriage and when the people of the same age first met with each other.
The half bows of anjunjol were usually made in acknowledgement. They simply bowed their heads slightly in kneeling positions.
Sonjol is made in a standing position. It is also subdivided into deep, common, and half bows according to the degree of bending. For the deep bow of sonjol, you bend your body down deeply in a standing position. It showed the greatest courtesy to the elderly, the elders in the higher degree of kin relationship, and adults.
The common bows of sonjol were exchanged between people of the same age or those including relatives by marriage who had to treat each other with due courtesy although they were not very old. For the common bows of sonjol, you bend your body slightly in a standing position.
The half bows of sonjol were made by bowing your head slightly in a standing position as an acknowledgement just like those of anjunjol.
Josonjol, our peoples’ traditional and excellent greeting manner, is being actively carried forward and developed as required by the times, and our socialist life is full of national flavor and emotions.
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Jo Jul 12, 2025
From childhood, the people of Koguryo possessed of exceptional martial habit were all good at horse riding and they accepted it as an important requirement of life.
The mural paintings of Koguryo tombs including murals of dancing, Yaksuri mural paintings and murals of hunting give a lifelike portrayal of the life of Koguryo people who enjoyed riding with excellent horsemanship. In particular, the delightful scenes depicting some people hunting wild animals with bows and arrows while dashing vigorously on horseback show master horsemanship and archery of the Koguryo people in an intensive way.
Through such hunting, the Koguryo people further refined their riding skills and trained courage and matchless capability to defeat any aggressors at a single blow without fear.
The Koguryo people learned riding skills through their routine martial arts training as well as from hunting wild beasts.
The mural painting of Tokhungri tomb vividly depicts the horse-riding archery training on a fixed target. The wall is painted with 4 competitors, 2 judges and one scorer.
Although the mural shows the scene of horse-riding archery only, the Koguryo people further improved their riding skills through various martial arts training including racing, fencing and spearing on horseback.
As a result, the distinguished horsemanship of the Koguryo people played a decisive role in the war to defend the land and the dignity and sovereignty of the country and nation.
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