Pyongyang

Pyongyang is the national capital of North Korea, situated along the Taedong River in the western part of the country. Korean linguistic roots give the name the meaning of flat land. The Chollima Statue on Mansu Hill represents a mythical winged horse from Korean folklore that galloped across great distances.

Taedonggang Brewing Company produces bottled golden lagers and dark draft ales under the Taedonggang brand, using brewing equipment acquired from the English town of Trowbridge. Pyeonghwa Motors manufactures compact four-door sedans and light commercial vans, selling the finished vehicles under the Hwiparam and Bbeokgugi model names. Pyongyang Cosmetics Factory produces moisturizing facial creams and perfumed soaps under the Unhasu brand, while the river port on the Taedong River directs transport barges carrying structural cement and mined coal downriver toward maritime docks.

Jangsu of Goguryeo established the walled settlement as the royal capital in 427. The Goryeo dynasty maintained the regional center as its western capital in the 10th century to reinforce administrative control over the northern borders. Commercial wharves on the river handled silk and grains in the late 19th century. Pyongyang became the national capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948. Wartime destruction during the Korean War led to complete reconstruction along planned neoclassical lines during the 1950s, creating monumental public squares and landscaped parks.

The Juche Tower rises 170 m (558 ft) on the eastern bank of the Taedong River, capped with an illuminated red metal flame. Rungrado 1st of May Stadium hosts mass gymnastics demonstrations and athletic competitions beneath sweeping curved roof arches. Kim Il Sung University provides instruction in chemistry, mathematics, and literature across spacious stone lecture halls established in the 1940s. The Grand People's Study House contains public reading rooms and research libraries sheltered beneath traditional curved glazed green roof tiles.