There is the Pobun Hermitage on Mt Ryongak, a pleasure ground for the people, dating back to the period of the Koguryo Kingdom (277 BC-AD 668).
Consisting of the main hall, Sansin and Chilsong pavilions and other buildings standing against a backdrop of a steep cliff, it is an element of precious cultural heritage reflecting the unusual talents of the Korean ancestors.
It is now a favourite haunt of visitors.
The visitors can hear interesting lectures given by Ri Mi Gyong, a lecturer and also a keeper of the hermitage.
Once, Ri happened to visit the hermitage together with her family members before she became its keeper.
After looking around the time-worn building for a while that day, her daughter Sin Jong asked her all of a sudden what kind of house it was.
She answered that it is called the Pobun Hermitage and is a valuable asset of the country. Then Sin Jong began to pick up fallen leaves in the courtyard. Ri regarded her little kid’s deed as admirable and helped her clean different parts of the place before returning home.
Mi Gyong could hardly sleep that night.
“Afterwards, the image of my daughter picking up fallen leaves upon hearing ‘a valuable asset of the country’ often came across my mind and then I thought that I said the words too thoughtlessly,” recalled Ri.
Since then, she had visited the place on rest days to voluntarily keep it clean. And she studied history by herself before becoming a lecturer there.
In the past six years, she did a great deal of work as she tended the hermitage.
In order to preserve the old buildings fading with the passage of time in their original state, she took part in the repainting of it, masonry behind the main hall, repair of angle rafters of the Chilsong Pavilion, reinstalling of the main gate, laying of roof tiles and stone stairs and the like. She also planted good species of some 50 trees such as Thuja occidentalis, Magnolia obovata and ginkgo and more than 800 roots of broad bellflowers around the hermitage, thus making a contribution to its facelift as befits a historical site.
Her lecture on the Pobun Hermitage is so profound and fascinating that visitors feel like they listen to a lecture given by a history professor.
Ri Mi Gyong always finishes her lecture with the remarks: “History is not simply an account of bygone era, but the embodiment of the spirit and soul of a nation. We cannot think of today without yesterday and the tomorrow of progress without yesterday and today.”
More From Pyongyang Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to treasure and preserve historical memory in a recent congratulatory message
May 07, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to treasure and preserve historical memory in a recent congratulatory message
The 22nd May 21 Architectural Festival will start at the Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang on May 13. The festival, which will be held
May 07, 2025
The 22nd May 21 Architectural Festival will start at the Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang on May 13. The festival, which will be held
The Mozambican President called for working hard to prevent the spread of malaria in a speech made on the occasion of World
May 06, 2025
The Mozambican President called for working hard to prevent the spread of malaria in a speech made on the occasion of World
Among more than 300 young people in North Hamgyong Province who volunteered to work at major sites of socialist construction in
May 06, 2025
Among more than 300 young people in North Hamgyong Province who volunteered to work at major sites of socialist construction in
Fishery units in Kangwon Province are building up their material and technical foundations. The Songdowon Fishery Station is
May 06, 2025
Fishery units in Kangwon Province are building up their material and technical foundations. The Songdowon Fishery Station is
The 12th Sports Contest of the Public Health Sector opened with due ceremony at the Taekwon-Do Palace in Pyongyang on May 2. Such
May 05, 2025
The 12th Sports Contest of the Public Health Sector opened with due ceremony at the Taekwon-Do Palace in Pyongyang on May 2. Such
A schoolchildren's art troupe of the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace led by Kim Song Il, vice-chairman of the Central
May 05, 2025
A schoolchildren's art troupe of the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace led by Kim Song Il, vice-chairman of the Central
The delegation of the Korean People's Army led by Pak Yong Il, vice-director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, returned
May 05, 2025
The delegation of the Korean People's Army led by Pak Yong Il, vice-director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, returned
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman censured the US for applying new sanctions on May 1. As to the fact that the US
May 05, 2025
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman censured the US for applying new sanctions on May 1. As to the fact that the US
More than 50 housewives in Kanggye of Jagang Province volunteered to work at worksites for socialist construction last January.
May 05, 2025
More than 50 housewives in Kanggye of Jagang Province volunteered to work at worksites for socialist construction last January.
Iran punished on April 30 a spy for committing anti-national crimes, bribed by Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service.The spy was f
May 05, 2025
Iran punished on April 30 a spy for committing anti-national crimes, bribed by Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service.The spy was f
Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, opposed the military presence of the West in Ukraine i
May 05, 2025
Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, opposed the military presence of the West in Ukraine i
Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s
May 04, 2025
Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s
The DPRK significantly celebrated May Day, the international holiday of the working people of the whole world. The country was
May 04, 2025
The DPRK significantly celebrated May Day, the international holiday of the working people of the whole world. The country was
In Japan where suicide is a social trend, another social evil has become rampant. It is called “isolated death” or “lonely death”.
May 04, 2025
In Japan where suicide is a social trend, another social evil has become rampant. It is called “isolated death” or “lonely death”.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry on April 28 strongly censured the US for its murderous air raid on Yemen in his state
May 04, 2025
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry on April 28 strongly censured the US for its murderous air raid on Yemen in his state
Officials and members of the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea held a dance party in the plaza in front of the Arch of Triumph in P
May 03, 2025
Officials and members of the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea held a dance party in the plaza in front of the Arch of Triumph in P
DPRK artistic gymnast Jo Kyong Byol finished runner-up in the women's vaulting horse and balance beam at the 2025 FIG Artistic
May 03, 2025
DPRK artistic gymnast Jo Kyong Byol finished runner-up in the women's vaulting horse and balance beam at the 2025 FIG Artistic
The 2025 Kalmaegi (sea gull) Cup canoeing competition was held from April 23 to May 1 on the Taedong River in Pyongyang. The
May 03, 2025
The 2025 Kalmaegi (sea gull) Cup canoeing competition was held from April 23 to May 1 on the Taedong River in Pyongyang. The
On May Day, senior officials of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government visited industrial establishments across the
May 03, 2025
On May Day, senior officials of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government visited industrial establishments across the
More Articles
