The Beauty of the Taedong River

The River Taedong rises from Mt. Rangrim standing in northwest Korea and flows into the West Sea of Korea through the capital city Pyongyang. It is the fifth long river in Korea.

The river is the cradle of the “Taedonggang Culture” centered on Pyongyang. The “Taedonggang Culture” is one of the five cultures of the world. From olden times the river was beautiful and had rich resources. The River Taedong is fed by 620 big and small tributaries. A number of barrages have been built on the river, including the West Sea Barrage, the Ponghwa Barrage and the Mirim Barrage. There are more than 130 kinds of fishes in the river. Especially mullet of the River Taedong is known as a special product from olden times. And the Koryo char registered as a living monument is living there. The bank of the picturesque River Taedong which has changed into a large artificial fish farm always witnesses many anglers.

There are many needle-leaf trees including fir and pine-nut trees and broad-leaved trees such as oak in the river basin. A lot of quality anthracite, lead, zinc, gold, iron and other underground resources are buried there. There are the Rungna, Yanggak, Ssuk, Turu and other Islands. Firm embankments have been built, canals cut and many trees planted along the River Taedong and its tributaries. The River Taedong is of great significance in the economic development of the country and people´s living. Water is used for urban life as well as for industrial and agricultural purpose. It also plays a big role in power generation and development of transport.

A lot of modern structures, parks and pleasure grounds have been built on the bank of the River Taedong flowing through Pyongyang and on the Rungna Island. The parachute-shaped May Day Stadium with 150,000 seats is also standing on the Rungna Island. In recent two years alone many establishments for people´s cultural life have been built, including the Ryugyong Health Complex, the People´s Open-Air Ice Rink, the Munsu Water Park, the Rungna People´s Pleasure Ground, the Rungna Dolphinarium and the Rungna Sports Park, which are crowded with people almost every day. An international hotel is located on the scenic Yanggak Island on the River Taedong. People unanimously say, it is really wonderful to drink fresh Taedonggang Beer on the top of the Yanggakdo International Hotel in midsummer, overlooking the River Taedong.