Pyongyang
capital city of North Korea
Pyongyang (Korean: 평양) is the capital and largest city of North Korea. According to the 2008 population census, it has a population of 3,255,288. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 kilometers (68 miles) upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Pyongyang is a directly administered city (직할시; 直轄市; chikhalsi) with a status equal to that of the North Korean provinces.
Pyongyang is one of the oldest cities in Korea. According to legend, it was founded in 1122 BC on the site of the capital of the legendary king Tan'gun. It was the capital of two ancient Korean kingdoms, Gojoseon and Goguryeo, and served as the secondary capital of Goryeo. Following the establishment of North Korea in 1948, Pyongyang became its de facto capital. The city was again devastated during the Korean War, but was quickly rebuilt after the war with Soviet assistance. The city was declared to be the official capital with the 1972 Constitution.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Pyongyang” is capital city of North Korea. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Pyongyang, capital and city, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “capital city of North Korea” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18808. VIAF identifies the subject as 147740730. The Library of Congress control number is n80014572. Authority coordinates are 39.017, 125.748. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008, 1122, 1948 and 1972.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Pyongyang”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Pyongyang primary sources, Pyongyang archive and Pyongyang research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pyongyang”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Pyongyang” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.