Pyongyang

About Pyongyang

Few capitals look like Pyongyang. The largest city in North Korea was almost entirely rebuilt after the destruction of the Korean War as a showcase of the state, so wide empty avenues, pastel apartment blocks, giant monuments and vast plazas line both banks of the Taedong River. The scale is deliberate, from Kim Il Sung Square to the Juche Tower opposite.

The city is ancient, though: it served as a capital of the Goguryeo kingdom from the fifth century, and fragments of that past survive in the Taedong Gate, the riverside pavilions and the wooded slopes of Moranbong Park. Beneath the streets lies one of the deepest metro systems in the world, with chandeliered stations decorated in mosaics.

Visits are possible only on organised tours with official guides, who set the route and photography rules, and access for foreign tourists has been heavily restricted since 2020; some governments forbid or advise against travel. Check your own government's current advice before planning anything. Food highlights include Pyongyang naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles served in an icy broth.