Jo Aug 5, 2026
Pyongyang onban is one of the famous traditional dishes of Pyongyang. The name “onban” literally means warm boiled rice.
According to historical records, onban was mentioned in Siuijonso and Kyugonyoram compiled in the 19th century, but it had been widely spread among people much long before.
To make Pyongyang onban, clean and boil polished rice first. Husk mung beans and powder them with a millstone to make pancakes. And hard-boil chicken in cold water and tear it into bite-sized pieces and boil the broth after seasoning with soy sauce and salt. Parboil mushrooms in boiling water and fry and season them with spices. To make spiced sauce, mix soy sauce with beaten spring onion and garlic, pulverized red pepper, sesame oil and powder and some chicken broth.
Put warm boiled rice in a bowl, add chicken, mushrooms, a spoonful of spiced sauce and mung bean pancakes on it as garnish. And then, put finely chopped onion and red pepper and thinly sliced egg on it. It is served after pouring the broth into the bowl or with the broth in another bowl.
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Jo Aug 3, 2026
The Ryongwang Pavilion is located in Taedongmun-dong, Central District, Pyongyang.
It was built in the mid-6th century in the period of Koguryo Kingdom and rebuilt several times afterwards. The present site of the pavilion was originally the site of a general’s terrace in the east of the keep of the Walled City of Pyongyang during the period of the kingdom. As the walled city was renovated and named Sogyong during the Koryo Dynasty, the pavilion was rebuilt in the same place and named Sansu Pavilion in 1111. It was repaired several times later and rebuilt in 1670 during the feudal Joson dynasty and renamed Ryongwang Pavilion.
It has been known as one of the eight scenic spots in the northwestern part of Korea from olden times for the beautiful scenery. It was also called the “most beautiful pavilion” and “Manhwa Pavilion”. On the pavilion is a calligraphic hanging board inscribed with the letters “The most beautiful place in the world”.
The pavilion showcasing the excellent architecture of the Koreans is associated with the patriotic struggles of the ancestors who repulsed foreign invasions.
Although it was badly damaged by the brutal bombing by the enemy during the Fatherland Liberation War, it was restored soon in the postwar period. It is now under good preservation as a national treasure and serves as a cultural recreation site for working people.
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Jo Aug 2, 2026
In August there are two of the 24 seasonal divisions of the year: Ripchu and Choso. Ripchu is the time when autumn begins and Choso signifies the time when summer heat begins to abate.
This year, Ripchu falls on August 7 and Choso August 23. In the period, boiling heat begins to lessen, cool wind blows and crops ripen.
In that period, the Korean ancestors pulled up barnyard grass, took steps to prevent damage from birds and animals and mowed grass for the following year's farming. And they paid close attention to planting and tending vegetables for kimchi for winter.
And they had various folk dances and played a variety of folk games, including shoulder dance, handclap dance, drum dance accompanied by farm music, the game of occupying other team’s base and the game between piggybacked players trying to pull each other down on the ground.
They prepared various dishes in keeping with the seasonal features of August, thus making the diet varied. Typical of them is sudan, a kind of rice cake soaked in honeyed water.
As seen above, the Korean people created and have steadily preserved diverse customs to suit the seasonal characteristics of August since olden times.
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Jo Jul 6, 2026
The Kaesong Chomsongdae Observatory is an astronomical observatory from the period of Koryo Kingdom which is situated in the west of Manwoltae in Kaesong Municipality.
In view of its present position and the records of the History of Koryo, the observatory is believed to have been built in the early period of Koryo, when the Yongyong Palace was being built on Manwoltae. Now there remains only its granite platform. Originally, there were astronomical observation instruments on the platform.
The plane of the platform was square and the platform consisted of stone pillars and stone floors laid on the pillars. The platform is 2.8 metres high and each side of it is 2.6 metres long. The pillar stones number five, four standing at the four corners and one in the middle. The sides of the platform face the cardinal points. It was constructed accurately and solidly.
From the early period of its foundation Koryo had national agencies in charge of astronomical and meteorological observation to do relevant observation at astronomical observatories and record the results meticulously. The records of sunspots observed from 1105 to the closing years of Koryo number over 150.
The Kaesong Chomsongdae Observatory is a valuable legacy showing the state of astronomical observation and high architecture of Korea at that time.
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Jo Jun 7, 2026
Originally, the word sinsollo was the name of a vessel with a unique structure used to boil foods. Many years later, the name of the vessel came to indicate the food boiled in it.
Sinsollo is well-known to the world as a representative dish of the Korean cuisine, which has the best taste as if dainties of all lands and seas are put into one vessel and is also appealing to the eyes. Its broth is mainly made of chicken and fish and meat are used with gingko nuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, jujubes and walnuts.
Dozens of kinds of ingredients are used to make the dish.
Sinsollo is served with individual bowls as it is shared by several people.
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Jo Jun 3, 2026
The DPRK has a long history of making and eating jang (soybean paste and sauce).
The names of jang are derived from its making methods and features. In Korean, toenjang (soybean paste) means thick paste and kanjang (soybean sauce) means seasoning sauce.
According to historical data, jang has been called by different names. It was originally called si and later si and jang, and at last its name was fixed as jang. The word meju was used by Korean ancestors to call jang but later became to indicate the basic material of jang. In its nascent period, jang was today’s fermented soybean that was made by wrapping boiled soybean with rice straw, fermenting it on a heated floor and mixing it with salt. Later, they dried and powdered fermented soybean and soused it in salty water before eating. In the long course of their life, Koreans discovered that materials contained in jang have health-promoting effects and medicinal efficacies in the treatment and prevention of cerebral thrombosis.
Nowadays, wheat paste is widely applied in the people’s dietary life to enrich it.
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