Chilgol
Chilgol is a suburb of Pyongyang in the Mangyongdae District.[1][2] Administratively it is a dong (neighborhood).[3]
Chilgol is known as the place where Kang Pan-sok, the mother of Kim Il-sung, North Korea's first leader,[4] was born in 1892 and spent her childhood.[4][5] The area features many buildings and fixtures related to Kim Il-sung's life. Kim attended Changdok School in Chilgol between 1923 and 1925. According to legend, Kang Pan-sok's father Kang Ton-uk founded the school, although in reality it had been established by the missionary Samuel A. Moffett. Kim Il-sung's desk, in the front of the classroom and left of the teacher, remains preserved there.[4] There are statues for Kim Il-sung,[5] Kang Pan-sok, and Kang Ton-uk, and a marked spot where Kim Il-sung used to read among the trees outside. Also on the premises is Chilgol Church,[4] which Kang Pan-sok used to attend, sometimes with Kim Il-sung,[6] and Chilgol Museum of Revolutionary History.[4] The museum houses Kang Pan-sok's possessions including kitchen utensils.[7] Kang Pan-sok Senior Middle School in Chilgol is named after her.[7]
Although Mangyongdae, also in Pyongyang, is traditionally considered the birthplace of Kim Il-sung, he wrote in his memoirs that he was in fact born in Chilgol where Kang Pan-sok had gone to give birth.[8]
Chilgol is designated as a Revolutionary Site, built up in July 1954.[5] The Namchongang Trading Corporation is based in Chilgol.[9] Oryu Valley nearby hosts a large strawberry farm.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Hoare, James (2012). Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. p. 322. ISBN 978-0-8108-6151-0.
- ↑ "Daily Report: East Asia" (141–149). Washington: The Service. 1996: 38. OCLC 1008884962.
- ↑ The Chilgol Revolutionary Site. Pyongyang: Korea Pictorial. 1989. OCLC 272460564.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Corfield 2014a, p. 27.
- 1 2 3 "Endless Stream of People Visit Chilgol Revolutionary Site". KCNA. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014.
- ↑ Corfield, Justin (2014). Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. London: Anthem Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.
- 1 2 Corfield 2014b, p. 74.
- ↑ Corfield 2014c, p. 120.
- ↑ "Additional Designation of North Korean Entities Pursuant to Executive Order 13382". US Treasury. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
Works cited
- Corfield, Justin (2014a). "Chilgol Revolutionary Site". Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. London: Anthem Press. pp. 27–29. ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.
- — (2014b). "Kang Ban Sok". Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. London: Anthem Press. pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.
- — (2014c). "Mangyongdae District". Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. London: Anthem Press. pp. 120–123. ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.