Names and legends In ancient Chinese literature, '
also refers to ' ( sometimes translated as "southern sea"). North Korean propaganda claims that
Kim Jong Il was born near the lake on the mountain. In accordance with this, North Korean state news agencies reported that on
his death, the ice on the lake cracked "so loud, it seemed to shake the heavens and the Earth".
Lake Tianchi Monster Heaven Lake is also alleged to be home to the
Lake Tianchi Monster. On September 6, 2007, Zhuo Yongsheng (director of a TV station's news center run by the administration office of the nature reserve at Mount Changbaishan,
Jilin) shot a 20-minute video of six
seal-like, finned Lake Tianchi Monsters, near the North Korean border. He sent pictures of the
Loch Ness Monster-type creatures to
Xinhua's Jilin provincial bureau. One of them showed the creatures swimming in three pairs, in parallel. Another showed them together, leaving ripples on the volcanic lake.
Notable visits On September 20, 2018, as part of an
Inter-Korean summit, heads of state
Kim Jong-un and
Moon Jae-in visited
Mount Paektu and Heaven Lake. Moon filled a bottle with water from the lake to take back to South Korea. The visit to the lake was a symbolic gesture, as both the lake and the mountain hold considerable cultural significance to the
Korean people. Mount Paektu is mentioned in the anthems of both
North and
South Korea, and is considered to be the spiritual home of the Koreans. == In popular culture ==