North Korea Finds Secret Unicorn Lair Said To Prove Pyongyang Was Capital Of Ancient Korea

Update, Dec. 3: According to website io9, the state-sponsored Korean Central News Agency making the announcement poorly translated the alleged findings. In Korean history, the name Kiringul (which the paper translated as "Unicorn Lair") is in fact a site associated with the founder of Koguryŏ, an ancient Korean kingdom. The discovery, North Korea claims, proves Pyongyang is the modern site of the ancient capital of Koguryŏ. The blog also reports that this finding, too, is controversial, as many historians doubt that at the time of its founding Koguryŏ was located in Pyongyang.

Previously: In an announcement Friday that seems better suited for a fairy tale, a North Korean state news agency reported that archaeologists recently reconfirmed the lair of a unicorn once ridden by an ancient Korean king.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, the lair of the mythical creature is located 200 meters (about 219 yards) from the Yongmyong Temple in Pyongyang. A rock that sits in front of the lair contains carvings that some believe date back to the period of the Koryo Kingdom (918-1392), the outlet notes.

The director of the History Institute of the DPRK Academy of Social Sciences, which discovered the lair, cited Korean history books as proof. Jo Hui Sung explained the history to the paper:

The Sogyong (Pyongyang) chapter of the old book 'Koryo History' (geographical book), said: Ulmil Pavilion is on the top of Mt. Kumsu, with Yongmyong Temple, one of Pyongyang's eight scenic spots, beneath it. The temple served as a relief palace for King Tongmyong, in which there is the lair of his unicorn.

The old book 'Sinjungdonggukyojisungnam' (Revised Handbook of Korean Geography) complied in the 16th century wrote that there is a lair west of Pubyok Pavilion in Mt. Kumsu.

It should be noted that North Korea's propaganda machine is famous for churning out unusual stories, including the details of Kim Jon Il's "divine birth" and the "peculiar natural wonders" that occurred as the Earth mourned the death of the Dear Leader, the Global Post reports.

While still alive, Kim also reportedly invented the hamburger, wrote 1,500 books in college and shot 11 holes-in-one the first time he played golf, according to Time magazine.

On the other hand, unicorn sightings around the world crop up from time to time, including one last January In Canada that was eventually revealed to be a publicity stunt.