Jo Oct 20, 2025
The International Conference―2025 of Kim Chaek University of Technology will be held in November 2025 in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea).
“Kim Chaek University of Technology International Conference―2025” aims to discuss recent achievements in a broad range of science and technology on the subject “Science and Technology―Power for Development and Strategic Means”.
We warmly welcome you (educators and scientists at home and abroad) to this conference to exchange valuable experiences and knowledge by presenting your latest academic findings/achievements and ideas in all areas of science and technology.
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Jo Oct 8, 2025
Hyonmu Gate is the north gate of the northern castle of the Walled City of Pyongyang of Koguryo on Moran Hill.
The gate was named after the mythological turtle symbolizing the God of the North, one of the four gods in charge of the four directions.
It was first built in the sixth century when the Walled City of Pyongyang was being built during the Koguryo dynasty and underwent repair and rebuilding several times during the Koryo dynasty. The present gate was rebuilt in 1714. After that, it underwent thorough repairs in 1855 and 1954.
The gate is made up of an embankment, the extension of the castle wall, and a tower on it.
Like the castle wall, the embankment is built with stones faced in the form of quadrangular pyramid that are placed one upon another to avoid longitudinally straight joint lines. There is an arched gate in the middle of it.
There are battlements on the embankment that is about 2.5 meters tall. The gatehouse is a single-eaves gabled house which is three kans (7.05m) in length and one kan in width.
Hyonmu Gate is a precious cultural legacy demonstrating the ardent patriotism and advanced castle gate architecture of the Korean ancestors.
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Jo Oct 5, 2025
Yut-game is a folk game in which players compete with each other moving pieces on the board as indicated by the faces of sticks.
It is one of the typical folk games enjoyed by the Korean people from olden times.
The terms used in the game “to”, “kae”, “kol”, “yut” (“shyung”) and “mo” are said to have originated from the job titles of the Puyo dynasty or from the purposes of breeding five kinds of domestic animals―pig, dog, sheep, cow and horse―distributed to five villages.
The yut-game is played with four sticks.
The sticks were usually made of wood, and chestnuts and beans were also used instead of wood sticks.
Round straight wood sticks 2 centimeters in diameter and 10-15 centimeters long were split in two semi-circle sticks for the game.
Who moved pieces round more on the board than opponents as indicated by the faces of sticks was the winner.
The yut-game, which has been enjoyed by the Korean people from olden times, is still being widely played on public holidays including the Lunar New Year’s Day.
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Jo Oct 1, 2025
The Korean people have celebrated Chusok (Harvest Moon Day) as a great folk holiday from olden times.
The term Chusok, which literally means autumn evening, originated from the practice of celebrating the full moon day in autumn of abundant harvest.
The Korean people have long regarded visiting their ancestral graves on the day of Chusok as a natural duty and a traditional custom.
When they visited their ancestral graves, they carried dishes cooked of new cereals to hold a memorial service, dressed in festive clothing.
For successful celebration of Chusok, they made all dishes the day before.
The special festival dishes of Chusok are half-moon-shaped new rice cake, steamed rice cake, chestnut dumpling, liquor, etc., among which half-moon-shaped rice cake has been accepted to be indispensable as a symbolic dish of Chusok.
Nochi made of glutinous rice powder, malty powder, etc. was also famous as a special dish of Pyongyang
People enjoyed the day playing several folk games including ssirum, swinging, tug of war, etc.
Enjoying the full moon was another custom of the day.
They either gathered in their house yards or climbed high mountains around them to see the rising moon.
This custom reflects the inner world of the sentimental and emotional Korean nation.
The Korean people still celebrate Chusok significantly as a traditional folk holiday and as an occasion of recollecting the unforgettable revolutionary forerunners, comrades, family members, relatives and friends who passed away.
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Jo Sep 10, 2025
Kwangbop Temple, situated in Taesong-dong, Taesong District, is one of the typical Buddhist temples in Pyongyang and the surrounding area. It was built during the period ruled by King Kwanggaetho of Koguryo and rebuilt in 1727. In July, 1952, during the Fatherland Liberation War, it was completely destroyed by the US imperialists’ bombing and it was restored to its original state in 1990.
Kwangbop Temple is comprised of Taeung Hall, eastern and western monasteries, five-storied octagonal pagoda, etc. The buildings are distributed symmetrically with the pagoda in the center. The way of siting buildings on the four sides of a pagoda was frequently found in the period of Koguryo.
Taeung Hall, the main building of the temple, is a magnificent two-storied gabled house. In the hall are placed three Buddhist statues including Shakyamuni Tathagata and some Buddhist images. The hall is painted colorfully in glittering gold.
The lotus pond transmitted from olden times and the monument to Kwangbop Temple erected in 1727 still remain around the temple. The legend about the nine dragons and ninety-nine ponds of Mt. Taesong, namely, Mt. Kuryong is recorded on the monument.
Kwangbop Temple on the picturesque Mt. Taesong is in good preservation and care as a national treasure and a precious cultural legacy demonstrating the advanced architectural skills of Korean ancestors in those times.
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Jo Sep 8, 2025
Hwajang Hermitage, belonging to Pohyon Temple of Mt Myohyang, was first built in the period of Koryo and was rebuilt several times after 1654. The present building was rebuilt in 1818. The hermitage is four kans (11.95m) long and two kans (5.55m) wide. The foundation stones are natural ones and the ceiling is coffered. The front wall is painted with fairies flying in the sky and there is a corridor along it.
Unlike other hermitages for sitting in religious meditation, Hwajang Hermitage was a place for teaching the Buddhist Scripture and even Confucianism-related things. Therefore, it is said to have been much frequented by those who worshipped Buddhism and Confucianism.
The priests decorated this hermitage colorfully to implant Buddhism into them. Hwajang Hermitage, one of the Buddhist temple buildings of the feudal Joson dynasty, is a precious historical relic visited by a lot of people as one of the sightseeing beauties of Manphok Valley on Mt Myohyang.
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