Ponghwa Revolutionary Site

Ponghwa Revolutionary Site
TypeRevolutionary Site
LocationKangdong County, Pyongyang
Coordinates39°10′7″N 126°0′28″E / 39.16861°N 126.00778°E / 39.16861; 126.00778[1]
Ponghwa Revolutionary Site
Chosŏn'gŭl
봉화혁명사적지
Hancha
Revised RomanizationBonghwa Hyeongmyeong-sajeokji
McCune–ReischauerPonghwa Hyŏngmyŏng-sajŏkchi

Ponghwa Revolutionary Site is a Revolutionary Site in Kangdong County, Pyongyang in North Korea.[2]

The site is associated with Kim Hyong-jik, the father of North Korea's first leader Kim Il Sung.[3] Kim Hyong-jik lived in Ponghwa between mid-March 1916 and November 1917.[2] At that time, he was teaching at the nearby Myongsin School. Kim had helped founding the school. According to North Korean tradition, Kim helped organizing resistance to the Japanese occupation of Korea in Ponghwa by holding secret meetings of various clandestine groups.[3] These efforts culminated in the establishment of the Korean National Association.[4]

The site consists of the school, a statue of Kim Hyong-jik, a monument to his revolutionary activities,[4] the Pisok-gye Monument, ground for morning exercises, the Rock Floor, the Maekjon Ferry,[2] dwellings,[5] a shallow well, and a place on Mount Ponghwa were secret meetings were held.[4] The Ponghwa-ri Revolutionary Museum on the premises opened in 2004 houses historical artifacts related to Kim Hyong-jik.[6]

In 2009, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) put visitor figures as follows: "During the past more than four decades since the revolutionary site was opened to visitors it has drawn nearly 16 million people."[7] As of 2012, more than 1.7 million people have visited the site since 2000.[2]

  1. ^ North Korea Uncovered (KMZ) (Google Earth). Version 18. North Korean Economy Watch. 25 June 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d "1.7 Million Visit Ponghwa Revolutionary Site in New Century". KCNA. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b Corfield 2014, p. 164.
  4. ^ a b c "Ponghwa Revolutionary Site". KCNA. 15 March 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Pomminryon S. Headquarters Vice-Chairman Tours Pyongyang". KCNA. 30 May 2012. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014.
  6. ^ "More Materials and Relics Added to Ponghwa-ri Revolutionary Museum". KCNA. 20 July 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Ponghwa Revolutionary Site Visited by Endless Stream of People". KCNA. 22 March 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014.