Student name: Altana Go

Introduction

In December 2012, numerous Western media platforms such as Guardian, Time, and NBC were

circulating and further disseminating the rumors of unicorn existence in North Korea. The

occasion was the English version of the report released by KCNA, The Korean Central News

Agency, which stated that archaeologists from the History Institute of the DPRK Academy of

Social Sciences had reconfirmed the existence of a unicorn lair that dates to the Koryo kingdom.

The lair is located 200 meters from the Yongmyong Temple in Moran Hill in Pyongyang City. A

rectangular rock carved with the words "Unicorn Lair" stands in front of the lair. The carved

words are believed to date back to the period of the Koryo Kingdom (918-1392). (KCNA,2012)

However, soon after the sensational news was released, some Korean-speaking scholars

reviewed the original report in Korean from 2011 and stated that there was no actual mention of

the unicorns in the article. The mistranslation of the word unicorn by editors of the KCNA and

the unawareness of the Western journalists about the legend associated with Kiringul led to

general confusion among the Western audience and caused the spread of rumors. The report’s

primary objective did not convey the discovery of the unicorn or the existence of other mythical

creatures but the linkage between the discovery of the rock with the words Unicorn lair with the

city Pyongyang as supposal the capital of Ancient Korea. Soon after it was clarified, Western

media related the date of the announcement with the undertaking leadership of Kim Jong-un in

2011. They saw it as intended propaganda to present the rise of the new North Korean leader as

King Tongmyong, a savior of the Korean people.

After carefully reading and analyzing the selected articles presented in Western media and the

English translation of the announcement by KCNA itself, I suggest factors that lead to

misinformation for the international audience and further discuss, based on critical thinking

principles, how the confusion and the spread of rumor could be avoided.

Regarding international news coverage, it is debatable whether speaking additional foreign

languages might be necessary. However, in the context of covering the news from North Korea,

which publishes limited output of official government statements for international audiences, it is

beneficial to speak Korean to report the news accurately. Otherwise, the statements lost in

translation as the news about a unicorn lair are inevitable. It was clear that none of the journalists

who firstly reported on the existence of the unicorn lair in North Korea looked for the original

version in Korean. If one would compare two versions of the announcement thinking of a more

logical explanation of such a claim, the confusion would not be avoided but at least reduced.

Indeed, as soon as a Korean-speaking Ph.D. student, Sixiang Wang, provided the proper context,

it was clarified that KPCA did not claim the existence of the unicorns, but the discovery of a

rock with the words Kiringul which could be translated as a lair of kirin. In this sense, it appears

how Western media is ready to accept unconfirmed rumors as objective news and how poorly the

information is verified about North Korea.

Though the North Korean editors did not mean to write specifically about the unicorns, they

mentioned the kirin or Chinese qilin, the mythical chimerical beast within East Asian mythology.

Therefore, the English release poorly translated the name of a historical location, Kiringul, as

"Unicorn Lair," a very evocative name for Westerners. (Lauren Davis, 2012).
Kirin is often translated as a unicorn for some shared similarities. Regarding physical

appearance, kirin or Chinese qilin can be portrayed differently as having a single horn

misleadingly in Western images or two horns and is often called ‘the eastern version of a

unicorn.’ Also, kirin and unicorn can be described as peaceful and seclusive mythical creatures

which coincide with the imminent birth or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. Whether the local

legend of King Koguryo riding the kirin was presented to invoke associations with the new

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is uncertain but coincides with the beginning of his governing

and the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, in 2011. North Korean officials may have been hoping

to secure Pyongyang's connection to the ancient kingdom of Koguryŏ while creating an

association between their president, Kim Jong-un, and the larger-than-life rulers of old ( Lauren

Davis, 2012).

On the one hand, it is crucial to consider the tense relationships between North Korea and

Western countries. From the Western perspective, North Korea is regarded as one of the world's

most repressive and authoritarian countries, with the strictest mass media regulations and

censorship. Therefore, to reduce the country’s negative image, every piece of news delivered to

the outside from North Korea is carefully selected and carries out a strategic purpose to its

international audience. Nevertheless, the information coming from North Korea is perpetuated

by Western media, often with a negative connotation, and is seen as propaganda based on North

Korean ideology. That is probably why the unicorns’ news was accepted quickly without

verification.

On the other hand, it is also essential to consider the purpose and time of the original publication

by the KCNA. North Korean officials linked the discovery of Kiringul with the powerful
Koguryo Kingdom, which extended through northeastern China toward the Mongolian frontier

and down the Korean peninsula south of Seoul. Notably, the initial publication in Korean was in

2011, and one year later, the English version was released. The discovery of the unicorn lair,

associated with the legend about King Tongmyong, proves that Pyongyang was the capital city

of Ancient Korea and the Koguryo Kingdom (KPCA, 2011). The release could serve as a

reminder to North Koreans and neighbors that the country was once a great nation and can be so

again.

Apart from the textual forms of misinformation, it is also essential to consider the visual

conditions of how the information is presented. The attached picture of an edited unicorn in the

Guardian article with the heading “Unicorn lair ‘discovered’ in North Korea” adds more

credibility and grabs the attention of international and unprepared readers who might not verify

the information and are not familiar with Korean folklore. The inscription at the bottom lists

Alamy as an image source, a photography agency of stock pictures. Therefore, the added image

to the Guardian article of a ‘unicorn’ is misleading as it does not depict the evidence of the

unicorn. Still, it might be used to attract the attention of the audience.

I believe that the confusion with the original report could have been avoided if KCNA had

clearly stated what is meant by Kiringul and provided the proper context. As discussed earlier,

KCNA did not claim the discovery of the unicorn lair nor the existence of the mythical local

Kirin. Therefore, despite the mistranslation, the North Korean officials did not mention the fact

of the mythical creature but the rock which supposedly marks the site under the name Kiringul.

However, as was pointed out by Sixiang Wang, it is still unclear whether the inscription marks

the historical spot Kiringul associated with King Tongmyong or the cave itself.
Considering the international audience, which might not be familiar with the legend of King

Tongmyong and his kirin, the KCNA could provide more context to avoid misunderstandings. It

should be distinguished that legends are not the same as myths, and legends are not the same as

historical events. It is debatable whether King Tongmyong was a real historical figure as there

are no actual historical records except for some historical representations and paintings in North

Korea. Even so, legends are often regarded as historical or traditional stories handed out for

generations but are not verifiable. The legend of King Tongmyong states that he founded the

Koguryo kingdom and that his kirin lived in a site called Kiringul. If the legend cannot be

authenticated, kirin does not exist, and Kiringul is not a lair of a real kirin. Therefore, the state

did not claim or believe in the existence of kirin either. Kirin, in this context, is used as a

mythical beast associated with the legend of King Tongmyong in Korea.

The implication of this article appears to be that the discovery of the lair near to Youngmong

temple in Pyongyang would suggest that Kiringul has located in present-day Pyongyang. Jo Hui

Sung, the director of the Institute, refers to historical evidence from Korean books

Sinjungdonggukyojisungnam' (Revised Handbook of Korean Geography) and the Sogyong

(Pyongyang) chapter of the old book 'Koryo History' which mark the location of the unicorn lair

near to Youngmong temple. Both references might sound authoritative, especially for Western

audiences who might not know these books. However, both are insufficient to conclude that

Pyongyang was the capital of Ancient Korea.

In addition, it is also essential to consider the controversies between China and South Korea

surrounding the Koguryo Kingdom. Chinese historians had been advancing since the mid-1980s

that Goguryeo was closely affiliated with Chinese history and did not form part of the ‘Three
Kingdoms’ that had previously been accepted as the historical precursors to the modern Korean

state (Thomas Chase, 2011). In this sense, it is debatable to conclude that Pyongyang was the

capital of the Koguryo Kingdom and Ancient Korea’s capital.

Conclusion

Despite Western media’s willingness to accept that unicorns exist in North Korea, it turned out

that the English version of the report by KCNA was misinterpreted, and the mythical creature

kirin was mistranslated as a unicorn. Considering the biased attitude of the West towards North

Korea, the rumors were spread quickly without fact verification and compared with the original

Korean report.

North Korean officials did not claim the existence of kirin, but the rock which marks the

historical site Kiringul associating with a legend of King Tongmyong. Considering that legends

should not be accepted as historical truth, Kiringul is not an actual place of kirin but rather a

meaningful site in North Korea. Therefore, a mention of kirin does not prove the actual existence

of a mythical beast. It is a mythical creature centralized in Korean folklore, which symbolizes a

sign of the arrival of a great leader.