개성특집(4) 만월대 / Manwol Pavilion (Kaesong - World Heritage)

Korea's Historical Relics Listed as World's Cultural Heritages
Pyongyang, June 24 (KCNA) -- It was decided at the 37th Meeting of the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO to register historical relics in Kaesong City, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as world's cultural heritages.
Kaesong was a capital city of Koryo Dynasty (918-1392), the first unified state in Korea, for nearly 500 years.
More than 90 kinds of relics are preserved in the city.
Among the relics listed as world's heritages this time are the mausoleums of King Wang Kon (1st king) and King Kong Min (31st king), South Gate of Kaesong, Kaesong Walls, Sungyang School, Monument to Loyalty, Sonjuk Bridge, Koryo Songkyunkwan Academy, Manwol Pavilion, Kaesong Chomsongdae (astronomical observatory) and two groups of tombs.
The mausoleum of King Kong Min is, in particular, preserved in original state. It is an earth-covered stone grave with remains of the king and the queen buried in it. The grave is believed to be built from 1365 to 1372 at the initiative of King Kong Min.
The group of Myongrung tombs is located in a row, three of which stand at intervals of 25 meters or 50 meters respectively between the mausoleums of kings Kong Min and Wang Kon.
The group of seven tombs is located at the foot of Mt. Mansu in Haeson-ri.
The tombs were robbed by the Japanese invaders during their colonial rule over Korea.
Believed to be built in 1391-1393, the South Gate, situated in the heart of Kaesong City, was burnt by the U.S. bombing in December 1950 during the Korean War (1950-1953), but it was restored to original state in 1954.
The relics give a glimpse of the development of the national culture in the period of the dynasty.
Tourists from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Britain and other countries are coming to the city to see the relics.
The recent registration of 12 kinds of relics as the world's heritages, in the wake of the registration of the Koguryo tomb murals at the 28th Meeting held in China in 2004, raises the Korean people's national pride.