culture

The Central Botanical Garden is situated at the foot of Mt Taesong in Pyongyang.

It is a base for scientific research, education and cultural activities dedicated to educating working people and youth and students in patriotism, disseminating botanical knowledge and providing them with cultural recreation, as well as the research into acclimatizing valuable plant resources from different countries and regions of the world and widely spreading them.

President Kim Il Sung worked heart and soul to build the Central Botanical Garden even in the days of leading the fierce Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950-July 1953) and the postwar reconstruction. He personally chose the site of the botanical garden in Mt Taesong and indicated the purpose, mission, orientation and methods of its construction.

Thanks to the guidance of the President, the construction was pushed forward under the support of all people, and the botanical garden was founded in April 1959.

The garden consists of 17 sections including the gift plant section, gift fruit tree section, plant classification section Nos. 1 and 2, edible fruit section, aromatic plant section, indigenous plant section, acclimatization section, rosarium and herb garden.

The gift plant section, gift fruit tree section and plant museum house plants sent by President Kim Il Sung, Chairman Kim Jong Il and the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and many plants presented to them by overseas Koreans and foreigners.

According to Jon Kwang Il, an official of the Central Botanical Garden, the garden has almost all the trees, flowers and ground-cover plants growing in the country and among them are living monuments like Sabina chinensis var. Horizontalis on Mt Taesong.

Over 65 000 trees of over 1 400 species, nearly 50 species of aromatic plants and more than 40 varieties of roses are growing in the garden.

It has several research bases, including the plant genetic resources institute and Kangdong plant research institute, as well as the herbarium and the dried flower workshop.

It also issues a periodical.