High atop the Korean Peninsula, past military checkpoints and bumpy dirt roads in one of the world’s most secretive countries, rises a volcano and deep crater lake steeped in symbolism.

A sacred North Korean mountain was recently recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark, the first time a natural site in the ...

North Korean society prizes racial purity and state propaganda glorifies the Kim family for their “Mount Paektu bloodline,” which is said to be a noble and heroic lineage tied to the ancient ...