Pyongyang

Pyongyang (Korean: 평양시; Hanja: 平壤市) is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 km (68 mi) upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Pyongyang is a directly administered city with equal status to the provinces of DPRK.

Pyongyang is one of the oldest cities in Korea.

History

The ancient capital of the legendary Dangun dynasty (2333 BCE) was located on the site where, according to legend, the modern city of Pyongyang was founded in 1122 BCE. Pyongyang has been the capital of two ancient Korean kingdoms, Gojoseon and Goguryeo, and served as the secondary capital of Goryeo.

Korean War

Pyongyang was devastated during the Korean War, during the sustained aerial bombing by the United States of America. By the time of the armistice, an estimated 75 percent of Pyongyang's area was destroyed by the bombing campaign, which was part of a broader U.S. bombing effort throughout the country, in which conventional explosives, incendiary bombs, and napalm destroyed nearly all of the country's cities and towns.