The Chilsong Gate at the foot of Moran Hill in Pyongyang

The Chilsong Gate at the foot of Moran Hill in Pyongyang is the north gate of the inner fort in the Walled City of Pyongyang, which was erected in the mid-6th century.

The gate was rebuilt in the period of Koryo and in 1711 and 1764.

It was named Chilsong Gate after the Great Bear.

The gate consists of the embankment linked with the walls and the gatehouse on top of it. The walls on both sides of the gate are about 10 metres apart and connected sideways.

The front side of the walls protrudes as walls for reinforcement.

The embankment is piled up with trimmed stones through which there is an arch gate.

There are a battlement and the gatehouse on the embankment.

The gatehouse with single gable eaves is three bays (7.38 metres) in front and two bays (4.36 metres) in the flank. Pillars stand around the gatehouse, picking out the middle bay. It has wooden floor in the middle bay. The gatehouse has a spacious room whose ceiling is supported without any beams.

The building is gorgeously painted, adding grace to it.

The gatehouse is small in scale and simple in structure but it goes well with the complex structure at its bottom.

The gate is associated with the history of the Korean people who courageously fought against foreign invaders. During the Imjin Patriotic War (1592—1598) they defeated the Japanese imperialists who temporarily conquered the Walled City of Pyongyang by passing through the gate.

Today it is well preserved and managed and used as a place for education in patriotism and a cultural resort.