Pyongyang: One of the great centers of Goguryeo civilization

For centuries, historians have debated a deceptively simple question: Where was the capital of Goguryeo?

The question puzzled scholars even during the reign of King Sejong the Great.

In 1427, Minister of Rites Shin Sang reported that while the capitals of Silla and Baekje could be identified, "the capital of Goguryeo is unknown." Perhaps the question itself is too narrow.

Rather than revolving around a single permanent capital, Goguryeo -- or Koguryo, as it is known in the North -- evolved throu ...