Important Facts For Prelims
Mt Paektu
- 18 Oct 2019
- 1 min read
Mount Paektu or Changbai (in Chinese) is considered sacred by the Koreans.
- It is a volcanic mountain that last erupted over 1,000 years ago.
- It is situated at the border between Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China.
- At a height of about 9,000 feet, it has the highest peak in the Korean peninsula.
- The mountain is considered sacred as Koreans treat the mountain to be the spiritual origin of the Korean kingdom, where the founder (Kim Il Sung) was born.
- Kim Il Sung fought against the Japanese occupation forces in the same region and North Koreans are led to believe that Kim Jong Il (Present North Korean Leader Jong-Un’s father) was born here.
- The Kim family legitimises their rule over DPRK by referring to the “Mount Baekdu Bloodline” (the mountain is also referred to as Baekdusan).
- A reference to the mountain is made in the South Korean national anthem as well.
