Yanghwa Temple, Historic Relic

The Yanghwa Temple, also known as "Poguk Temple", is situated in Thaechon County, North Phyongan Province, the DPRK. It is the second biggest temple in the northwestern area of our country after Pohyon Temple in Mt Myohyang.

It has the Haethal Gate, the Chonwang Gate and the Taeung Hall in its center and ten-odd buildings including the Myongbu Hall, the Simgom Hall, the Pongchuk Hall and the Ponghyang Pavilion on either side of them. Besides those buildings, there is a pond as well.

Among the existing buildings, the Chonwang Gate, the Myongbu Hall and the Haethal Gate date back to the middle period of the Korean Feudal Dynasty and other buildings including the Taeung Hall are the ones re-built after they were burned down in １８７４.

The main building of the temple is the Taeung Hall.

The Taeung Hall is a double-eave gabled house which is three kans on the front and two kans on the side.

The inside of the hall had the floor covered with boards and the upper part with coffered and angled ceiling.

A Buddhist altar is placed deep inside the hall and a Buddhist image rests on it.

The Chonwang Gate reflective of the oldest architectural style in the Yanghwa Temple is a gabled house with double eaves and has three kans on the front and two on the side. It was remodeled in １６５６.

The Yanghwa Temple has a pond ３０ meters long and １５ meters wide which existed since the temple was first erected.

The Yanghwa Temple is the typical one showing the architecture of the middle and latter period of the Korean Feudal Dynasty and is well preserved under our Party’s policy on protecting historic heritages.

Rodong Sinmun