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Not to be confused with Pyonggang or Pyeongchang County.
"Heijo" redirects here. For other uses, see Heijo (disambiguation).
Directly governed city
Pyongyang Directly Governed City
 • Chosŏn'gŭl
 • Hancha 直轄市
 • McCune-Reischauer P'yŏngyang Chikhalsi
 • Revised Romanization Pyeongyang Jikhalsi
 • Official North Korean variant Phyŏngyang Chikhalsi
Clockwise from top left: Pyongyang skyline and the Taedong River; Juche Tower; Arch of Triumph; Tomb of King Dongmyeong; Puhŭng Station in the Pyongyang Metro; Arch of Reunification; and Kumsusan Palace of the Sun

Motto: (류경/柳京)  (Korean)
"Dynamic Labors "
[not verified in body]

Map of North Korea with Pyongyang highlighted
Map of North Korea with Pyongyang highlighted
Country  North Korea
Region P'yŏngan
Founded 1122 BC
 • Chairman of Pyongyang People's Committee Cha Hui-rim[1]
 • Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Pyongyang City Committee Kim Su-gil[1][2][3]
 • Total 3,194 km2 (1,233 sq mi)
Elevation 38 m (125 ft)
Population (2008)
 • Total 2,581,076[4]
 • Dialect P'yŏngan

Pyongyang (/ˈpjɒŋˈjæŋ/; (Chosŏn'gŭl평양; Hancha平壤), Korean pronunciation: [pʰjʌŋjaŋ], literally: "Flat Land" or "Peaceful Land") is the capital and largest city of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (commonly known as North Korea).

Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 kilometres (68 mi) upstream from its mouth on the West Korea Sea and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388.[5] The city was split from the South Pyongan province in 1946. It is administered as a directly governed city (chikhalsi, 직할시) on the same level as provincial governments, as opposed to a special city (teukbyeolsi, 특별시) as Seoul is in South Korea.



The city's other historic names include Kisong, Hwangsong, Rakrang, Sŏgyong, Sodo, Hogyong, Changan,[citation needed] and Heijō[6] (during Japanese rule in Korea). There are several variants.[7] During the early 20th century, Pyongyang came to be known among missionaries as being the "Jerusalem of the East", due to its historical status as a stronghold of Christianity, namely Protestantism.[8][9]




Many South Korean historians[who?] deny this claim because other Korean history books such as the Guanzi, Sanhaijing, Shiji, and Sanguozhi place Asadal around the Liao River located in western Manchuria. The connection between the two therefore may have been asserted by North Korea for the use of propaganda. Nevertheless, Pyongyang became a major city under Gojoseon.


Pyongyang was founded in 1122 BC on the site of Tangun Dynasty's capital, according to legends.[12] It is likely that the area of Pyongyang belonged to Wiman Joseon, the shortest-lasting part of Gojoseon if both Dangun and Gija Joseon were real, which fell in the Gojoseon–Han War in 108 BC. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty ordered four commanderies be set up, with Lelang Commandery in the center and its capital established as 平壤 (Old Chinese: *breŋ*naŋʔ,[13] modern Mandarin: píngrǎng, Korean: pyongyang). Several archaeological findings from the later, Eastern Han (20–220 AD) period in the Pyongyang area seems to suggest that Han forces later launched brief incursions around these parts.




Korean and Chinese offensive during the Siege of Pyongyang (1593)
Chinese generals in Pyongyang surrender to Imperial Japanese soldiers during the Sino-Japanese War, October 1894, as depicted in Japanese ukiyo-e.

During the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98), Pyongyang was captured by the Japanese until the Japanese were defeated in the Siege of Pyongyang.[12] Later in the 17th century, it became temporarily occupied during Second Manchu invasion of Korea until peace arrangements were made between Korea and the Manchus. While the invasions made Koreans suspicious of foreigners, the influence of Christianity began to grow after the country opened itself up to foreigners in the 16th century. Pyongyang became the base of Christian expansion in Korea, and by 1880 it had more than 100 churches and more Protestant missionaries than any other Asian city.[12]

In 1890, the city had 40,000 inhabitants.[15] It was the site of the Battle of Pyongyang during the First Sino-Japanese War, which led to the destruction and depopulation of much of the city. It was the provincial capital of South Pyeongan Province from 1896. Under colonial rule, the city became an industrial center, called Heijō in Japanese.

The aftermath of the Wanpaoshan Incident

In July 1931 the city experienced anti-Chinese riots as a result of the Wanpaoshan Incident and the sensationalized media reports of the incident which appeared in Imperial Japanese and Korean newspapers.[16]


After 1945[edit]




Geography and climate[edit]

Pyongyang (1971-2000)[19]
Climate chart (explanation)
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: WMO

Pyongyang is in the west-central part of North Korea; the city lies on a flat plain about 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the Korea Bay, an arm of the Yellow Sea. The Taedong River 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.[20]



Climate data for Pyongyang (1971–2000, extremes 1907–2016)
Record high °C (°F) 11.0
Average high °C (°F) −0.8
Daily mean °C (°F) −5.8
Average low °C (°F) −10.7
Record low °C (°F) −28.5
Average precipitation mm (inches) 12.2
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 5.2 4.2 5.1 6.7 8.1 8.7 14.4 11.0 7.2 6.1 7.3 5.9 89.9
Average relative humidity (%) 74 71 66 63 66 70 80 78 74 72 72 73 72
Source #1: World Meteorological Organization[21]
Source #2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, humidity 1908–1936, and sun 1961–1990)[22][23][b]


Mansudae Assembly Hall, seat of the Supreme People's Assembly, the North Korean parliament

Major government and other public offices are located in Pyongyang, which is constitutionally designated as the country's capital.[24] The seat of the Workers' Party Central Committee is located in Haenbangsan-dong, Chung-guyok. Pyongyang People's Committee is located in Haebangsan-dong, Chung-guyok. The Cabinet of North Korea is located in Jongro-dong, Chung-guyok.


The politics and management of the city is dominated by the Workers' Party of Korea, as they are in the national level. The city is managed by the Pyongyang Party Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. 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 prioritized to Pyongyang, and providing support to KWP and internal security agency personnel and families.

Administrative status and divisions[edit]




A panoramic view of Pyongyang from atop the Juche tower
Apartment buildings with green areas

Pyongyang was destroyed during the Korean War and has been entirely rebuilt according to a design reflecting Kim Il-Sung's vision.[29] His dream was reportedly to create a capital that would boost morale in the post-war years.[30] The result was a city with wide, tree-lined boulevards and public buildings with terraced landscaping, mosaics and decorated ceilings.[29] Its Russian-style architecture makes it reminiscent of a Siberian 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.[29]


Structures in Pyongyang are divided into three major architectural categories: monuments, buildings with traditional Korean motifs and high-rises.[33] 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 first of them is a 170-meter granite spire symbolizing the Juche 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.[33] The most prominent building on Pyongyang's skyline is Ryugyong Hotel,[33] the seventh highest building in the world terms of floor count, the tallest unoccupied building in the world,[34] and one of the tallest hotels in the world. It has yet to open.[35][36]

High-rise apartment buildings dominate the cityscape. The government launched a mass construction campaign aiming to build 100,000 new homes in 2011. The Changjon Street Apartment Complex was part of this effort. Construction of the complex began after late leader Kim Jong-il reportedly described the area as "pitiful".[37] Other housing complexes are being upgraded as well, but most are still poorly insulated while elevators and central heating remain rare.[38] These new buildings foresaw the start of an urban renewal program that continues under Kim Jong-un's leadership, with the old apartments of the 70s and 80s now replaced by new, taller high rise buildings and new leisure parks like the Kaesong Youth Park, as well as renovations of older buildings.[39]


Notable landmarks in the city include:





Pyongyang served as the provincial capital of Pyeongan province until 1946,[40] and Pyongyang cuisine shares the general culinary tradition of the Pyeongan province. The most famous local food is Pyongyang naengmyeon, or also called mul naengmyeon or just simply naengmyeon. Naengmyeon literally means "cold noodles", while the affix mul refers to water because the dish is served in a cold broth. Naengmyeon consists of thin and chewy buckwheat noodles in a cold meat-broth with dongchimi (watery kimchi) and topped with a slice of sweet Korean pear.



Famous restaurants in the city include Okryu-gwan and Ch'ongryugwan.[43]




Central Pyongyang with the newly built Changjon Apartment Complex. The Okryu Bridge and Ryugyong Hotel are in the background




Pyongyang Department Store No. 1

Pyongyang is home to several large department stores including the Pothonggang Department Store, Pyongyang Department Store No. 1, Pyongyang Department Store No. 2, Kwangbok Department Store, Ragwon Department Store, Pyongyang Station Department Store, and the Pyongyang Children’s Department Store.[46]

The city also has Hwanggumbol Shop, a chain of state-owned convenience stores supplying goods at prices cheaper than those in jangmadang 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.[47]


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.[12] Pyongyang railway station serves the main railway lines, including the Pyongui Line and the Pyongbu Line. Regular international rail services to Beijing, Chinese border city of Dandong and Moscow 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 via the Trans-Siberian Railway. A high-speed rail link to Wonsan is planned.[48]

The Metro, tram and trolleybus systems are used mainly by commuters as a primary means of urban transportation.[12] Cycle lanes were introduced on main thoroughfares in July 2015.[49] There are few cars 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.[50] Some roads are also reported to be in a poor condition.[51]


Education and science[edit]

Kim Il-sung University, North Korea's oldest university, was established in 1946.[12] It has seven colleges, 14 faculties and 16 other institutes, graduate schools and university units.[52] 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, optical science, geophysics and astrophysics;[53] an atomic energy institute and a human evolution research office which studies human evolution through a Juche point of view. Kim Il-Sung University also has its own publishing house, sports club (Ryongnamsan Sports Team),[54] revolutionary museum, nature museum, libraries, a gym, indoor swimming pool and educator apartment houses. Its two main buildings were completed in 1965 (Building 1) and 1972 (Building 2). A third building on campus is planned.[55]

Other higher education establishments include Kim Chaek University of Technology, Pyongyang University of Music and Dance and Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies. Pyongyang University of Science and Technology is the country's first private university where most of the lecturers are American and courses are carried out in English.[56][57] 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.[58]



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 in 1945,[60] the Second People's Hospital, Ponghwa Recuperative Center (also known as Ponghwa Clinic or Presidential Clinic) located in Sokam-dong, Potonggang-guyok, 1.5 km northwest of Kim Il-sung Square,[61] Pyongyang Medical School Hospital, Namsan Treatment Center which is adjacent[62] Pyongyang's Maternity Hospital, Taesongsan General Hospital,[63] Kim Man-yoo Hospital, Staff Treatment Center and Okryu Children's Hospital.

Twin towns[edit]

Pyongyang is twinned with:

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Nanglang-state is different from Lelang Commandery.
  2. ^ Station ID for Pyongyang is 47058 Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration


  1. ^ a b Pyongyang Republic, Robert Collins p. 54
  2. ^ The Secretarial Pool, NK Leadership Watch, 6 May 2014
  3. ^ NK Media Reports Pyongyang Apartment Collapse
  4. ^ City population by sex, city and city type, UN, 2008, retrieved 27 October 2016 .
  6. ^ ("Heijō: North Korea". Retrieved 26 June 2013. 
  13. ^ Baxter, William H.; Sagart, Laurent. "Baxter-Sagart Old Chinese reconstruction (Version 1.00)". Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 20 May 2012. 
  17. ^ Buzo, Adrian (2002). The Making of Modern Korea. London: Routledge. pp. 54–57. ISBN 0-415-23749-1. 
  19. ^ "World Weather Information Service - Pyongyang". WMO. Retrieved 28 December 2014. 
  20. ^ Country Study 2009, p. 63.
  21. ^ "World Weather Information Service - Pyongyang". WMO. Retrieved 1 September 2016. 
  22. ^ "Klimatafel von Pyongyang (Pjöngjang) / Korea (Nordkorea)" (PDF). DWD. Retrieved 1 September 2016. 
  23. ^ "Station 47058 Pyongyang". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 1 September 2016. 
  24. ^ Country Study 2009, p. 196.
  25. ^ Country Study 2009, p. 276-277.
  26. ^ Country Study 2009, p. 277.
  29. ^ a b c d Country Study 2009, p. 91.
  30. ^ Country Study 2009, p. 93-94.
  31. ^ Country Study 2009, p. 97.
  32. ^ Country Study 2009, p. 91-92.
  34. ^ Glenday, Craig. Guinness World Records 2014. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-908843-15-9. 
  35. ^ Staff (15 October 2009). "Will 'Hotel of Doom' ever be finished?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 24 April 2015. 
  36. ^ Yoon, Sangwon (1 November 2012). "Kempinski to Operate World's Tallest Hotel in North Korea". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 24 April 2015. 
  39. ^ Makinen, Julie (20 May 2016). "North Korea is building something other than nukes: architecture with some zing". Los Angeles Times. 
  45. ^ "Pyongyang's Perpetual Power Problems". 25 November 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2015. 
  46. ^ "Pyongyang Metro maps". Retrieved 17 March 2013. 
  49. ^
  50. ^ Martin, Bradley K. (9 July 2007). "In Kim's North Korea, Cars Are Scarce Symbols of Power, Wealth". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2012. 
  58. ^ "Science and Technology Hall to be Built in Pyongyang's Ssuk Islet". Institute for Far Eastern Studies. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015. 
  59. ^ "MGC-20 Cyclotron". Retrieved 20 April 2015. 
  60. ^ KCNA, May 22, 2002
  61. ^ Ponghwa Clinic Expanded During 2009-2010, NK Leadership Watch
  62. ^ Where Did Kim Jong Il Receive His Surgery?
  65. ^ First China-DPRK sister cities meeting held in Pyongyang.

Works cited[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Pyongyang at night[edit]