Mt Paektu, Ancestral Mountain of Korean Nation

 Pyongyang, February 18 (KCNA) -- Mt Paektu has been called the ancestral mountain of the Korean nation since olden times.
Ancestors of Koreans called it Mt Thaebaek, Mt Pulham, Mt Tothae and Mt Paek for its height reaching the sky, divine nature and snowy peaks, regarding it as the origin of Korea's vitality.
Such fact is well illustrated by historical data.
Worship of the mountain is reflected in the myth of foundation of Ancient Korea (early 30th century B.C.-108 B.C.). According to the myth, the place Tangun's father landed from Heaven was described as "Mt Thaebaek."
Tae Jo Yong, founder of Palhae (698-926), declared the founding of the Kingdom of Palhae, deeming the area of mountain a sacred land. It was recorded in a historical document that Jo Yong, a former general of Koguryo whose family name was Tae, gathered soldiers to found a kingdom south of Mt. Thaebaek and named it Palhae.
In the period of Koryo (918-1392), too, Koreans worshiped the mountain as the cradle of nation-founding and ancestral mountain. A historical document says that ancestors of Wang Kon, founder of Koryo, came to Mt Songak from Mt Paektu to gain foothold.
Such facts historically prove that Mt Paektu has been linked with the rise and fall of the nation.
A book compiled in the 17th century tells that all the mountains of Korea originated from Mt Paektu. In a map drawn by a geographer in 1861, the Great Paektu Ranges are described in a bold line to highlight the mountain as the ancestral mountain of the Korean nation.
The travelogue "Travel to Mt Paektu" (18th Century) specified the rivers, valleys, soil quality and trees witnessed in the course of a 1 300-ri round trip. Giving a special description of the peaks on Mt Paektu, it noted that the long history and glorious cultural traditions of the Korean people benefit from "the sacred spirit of Mt Paektu." -0-