Mark Meek's Ideas: Pyongyang

With North Korea in the news so much, why not visit it's capital city? Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River. Most of the buildings look modern, but it is actually one of the oldest cities in the world.

The U.S. heavily bombed Pyongyang in 1950. U.S. and South Korean forces then temporarily captured Pyongyang. Much of the city today is what was rebuilt after bombing during the Korean War of 1950-53.

To understand North Korea, and it's capital city, we must first understand the Kim family. The supreme leader of the country after it regained independence with the end of the Second World War, in 1945, was Kim Il-Sung. His photo and statue are all over the country. The entire country used to wear medals, with his photograph on them, every day.

Here is an example of a badge featuring Kim Il-Sung. Notice the symbol in the upper left of the badge. That is the symbol of the Workers Party of Korea. But, unlike the traditional "hammer and sickle" symbol of Communism, representing industry and agriculture, there is a third element in the middle. This third element is a pen, representing the importance of intellectuals in North Korean Communism. The following image is from the Wikipedia article "Kim Il-Sung And Kim Jong-Il Badges".

After the death of Kim Il-Sung, in 1994, his son, Kim Jong-Il, became supreme leader. Two images from the Wikipedia article "Kim Jong-Il".

The present supreme leader of North Korea is the son of Kim Jong-Il, who died in 2011, and the grandson of Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Un.

The Geumsusan (also spelled Kumsusan) Palace was where Kim Il-Sung reigned from. It is now a mausoleum of him and his successor and son, Kim Jong-Il who died in 2011, and a museum of their lives.

Over a century ago, Pyongyang was a very Christian city, and notice how the devotion to the Kim Dynasty since the end of the Second World War is a lot like a religion. Especially notice how the following statue in the mausoleum looks like something that might be seen in a Catholic church. The following image is from the Wikipedia article "Kumsusan Palace of the Sun".

Since most of what is seen in Pyongyang today is what was rebuilt relatively recently, after the Korean War, I decided to conduct our visit simply by geography, rather than by history. Let's start at the northern end of Pyongyang, and proceed southward.

This is Kim Il-Sung University.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >. After clicking the up arrow you can hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

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Close to the Mausoleum and University of Kim Il-Sung is the May Day Stadium, remember that the first day of May is a holiday for Communists and Socialists. Remember also that the symbol of North Korean communism has the pen of the intellectual included with the hammer and sickle.

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Moving southward through the city, we come to the Arch of Triumph. This is actually a little bit larger then the one in Paris, and remembers the end of occupation by Japan in 1945. The arch is located close to the Kim Il-Sung Stadium of Ideals. The first of the following images is from the Wikipedia article "Arch of Triumph" and the second is from Google Street View.

This image, from Google Street View, is of Kim Il-Sung Stadium.

Two structures that will often be seen in the background in photos of Pyongyang is first, the Pyongyang Television Tower, which has an observation deck and revolving restaurant. Image from the Wikipedia article "Pyongyang TV Tower".

And second, the Ryugyong Hotel. This is the structure that is over 100 stories tall and shaped like a sharp pyramid. It was begun in the 1980s, but reports are that economics has prevented it from being completed. Image from the Wikipedia article "Ryugyong Hotel".

In 1968, fifteen years after the Korean War had ended, the North Koreans managed to capture a U.S. Navy intelligence-gathering ship, the U.S.S. Pueblo. The crew was eventually released, but the ship was kept as a war trophy and is now at anchor in Pyongyang, next to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. The following scenes begin on board the Pueblo. The first four images, from Google Street View, are of the inside of the Pueblo.

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Proceeding generally southward, we come to the Mansu Hill Grand Monument. There are monuments here of Kim Il-Sung, and his successor son Kim Jong-Il, that we saw above, and also the Socialist Revolution Monument.

Nearby is the legislative building, the Supreme People's Assembly. The large building at the top of the hill is the Korean Revolution Museum. One scene, with the statue of Kim Il-Sung holding his arm aloft, is incorrectly labeled as being in Kim Il-Sung Square, although the square is not very far away.

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On the east bank of the Taedong River is the Ideals of the North Korean Workers' Party Monument. Remember, again, that the North Korean symbol for Communism has the pen of the intellectual added to the hammer and sickle. The first following image is from Google Street View, the second is from the Wikipedia article "Monument To Party Founding".

A prominent landmark in central Pyongyang is the Juche Tower. The principle of Juche means "self-reliance". The first of the following images is from the Wikipedia article "Juche Tower", and the second is from Google Street View.

Across the Taedong River from the Juche Tower is Kim Il-Sung Square. The building with the green roof is a library, the Grand People's Study House. Government buildings are around Kim Il-Sung Square. The following image, from Google Street View, is looking back across the river at the Juche Tower.

In these two images, from Google Street View, the Grand People's Study House is shown from close up and from across the river.

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Other than a few government offices, North Koreans cannot access the outside internet. A special intranet, with several thousand web sites, has been set up for the people by the government. Here is a computer room in the Grand People's Study House. This image is from the Wikipedia article "Grand People's Study House".

You may notice that there are not many cars in Pyongyang. But it is known for it's very efficient metro system. The following scenes begin in the subway, in Yonggwan Station. As you might expect, there are murals of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. The first two images are of murals in the station. The people are following the leadership of Kim Il-Sung to build a glorious socialist paradise.