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No traces of the era of the Western Han dynasty have been found around Pyongyang. It is likely that the area of Pyongyang seceded from the disintegrating kingdom of Gojoseon and belonged to another Korean kingdom by the time of the fall of Wiman Joseon, the longest-lasting part of Gojoseon, at the hands of the Han Dynasty of China in 108 BCE. Archaeological finds from the Later Eastern Han (25-220) periods in the Pyongyang area seems to suggest that Han forces later launched brief invasions of the Korean peninsula, including the area of Pyongyang.

The area around Pyongyang was called Nanglang during the Eastern Han periods. As the capital of Nanglang (낙랑국; 낙랑), Pyongyang remained an important commercial and cultural outpost until Lelang was destroyed by an expanding Goguryeo in 313 CE.

Goguryeo moved its capital here in 427. According to Christopher Beckwith, Pyongyang is the Sino-Korean reading of the name they gave it in their language, Piarna, or "level land". During the 7th century, Tang China allied with Silla and conquered Goguryeo in 668.

In 676, Pyongyang was taken by Silla but left on the border between Silla and Balhae until the time of the Goryeo dynasty, when the city was revived as Sŏgyŏng (서경; 西京; "Western Capital"), although it was never actually a capital of Goryeo. It was the provincial capital of the Pyeongan Province during the Joseon dynasty. In 1890, the city had 40,000 inhabitants. It was the site of an important battle during the First Sino-Japanese War, which led to the destruction and depopulation of much of the city. However, it was the provincial capital of South Pyeongan Province from 1896. Under Japanese colonial rule, the city became an industrial center, known in Japanese as Heijō. By 1938, Pyongyang had a population of 235,000.

In 1945, Pyongyang became the temporary capital of Provisional North Korea. It became the de facto capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at its establishment in 1948. At that time, the Pyongyang government aimed to recapture Korea's official capital at that time, Seoul. Pyongyang was again severely damaged in the Korean War, during which it was briefly occupied by South Korean forces—the only time in history that a communist capital fell to enemy forces. In 1952, it was the target of the largest aerial raid of the entire war, involving 1,400 UN aircraft. After the war, the city was quickly rebuilt with Soviet help, with many buildings built in Socialist Classicism. The rebuilt city featured extensive parks, broad boulevards, and high-rise apartments. Pyongyang became the political, economic, and transportation center of North Korea. In 1962, the city had a population of 653,000. The population grew to 1.3 million in 1978 and to more than 3 million by 2007.

Pyongyang was the provincial capital of Pyeongan province until 1946. Therefore, Pyongyang cuisine shares with the general culinary tradition of Pyeongan province. The most famous local food is Pyongyang naengmyeon, or also called mul naengmyeon or just simply naengmyeon. Naengmyeon literally means "cold noodles", while the affix, mul, refers to "water" because the dish is served in a cold broth. Naengmyeon consists of thin and chewy buckwheat noodles in a cold meat broth, and dongchimi (watery kimchi) and topped with a slice of sweet Korean pear. Pyongyang naengmyeon was originally eaten in homes built with ondol (traditional underfloor heating) during the cold winter, so it is also humorously called "Pyongyang deoldeori" (shivering in Pyongyang). Pyongyang locals sometimes enjoyed it as a haejangguk, which is any type of food eaten as a hangover cure, usually a warm soup.

Another representative Pyongyang dish is Taedonggang sungeoguk, meaning "trout soup from the Taedong River". The soup is made with trout, which are abundant in the Taedong River, along with black peppercorns and salt. It is served as a courtesy to important guests visiting Pyongyang. Therefore, the question, "How good was the trout soup?" is commonly used to greet people returning from Pyongyang. Another local specialty is Pyongyang onban (literally "warm rice of Pyongyang"). It is a dish made with freshly cooked rice topped with sliced mushrooms, chicken, and a couple of bindaetteok (pancakes made from ground mung beans and vegetables).

The Pyongyang Metro is a two-line underground metro system which has a length of 22.5 km . The Hyoksin line serves Kwangbok, Konguk, Hwanggumbol, Konsol, Hyoksin, Jonu, Jonsung, Samhung and Rakwon stations. The Chollima line serves Puhung, Yonggwang, Ponghwa, Sungni, Tongil, Kaeson, Jonu and Pulgunbyol stations.

There is also a 53 km (33 mi) long Pyongyang Tram and 150 km (93 mi) trolleybus service. The trolley bus-stops are fairly full. It is difficult to gauge how widely the metro is used, as tourists are permitted to travel only between two designated stops with a guide.

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