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Kim Il Sung Square

City square in Pyongyang, North Korea

City square in Pyongyang, North Korea

FieldValue
nameKim Il Sung Square
image_placeLaika ac Juche Tower (12108772354).jpg
image_captionThe square in 2014
place_typePublic square
dedicated_toKim Il Sung
open
ownerCity of Pyongyang
surfaceconcrete
locationTaedongmun-dong, Chung-guyok, Pyongyang
area75000 m2
coordinates
mapframe-zoom14
mapframe-wikidatayes
embedded{{Infobox Korean name/auto
childyes
hangul%김일성%_광장
hanja金日成廣場

NOTOC | mapframe-zoom = 14 | mapframe-wikidata = yes Kim Il Sung Square () is a large city square in the Central District of Pyongyang, North Korea, and is named after the country's founding leader, Kim Il Sung. The square was constructed in 1954 according to a master plan for reconstructing the capital after the destruction of the Korean War. It was opened in August 1954. The square is located on the foot of the Namsan Hill, west bank of the Taedong River, directly opposite the Juche Tower on the other side of the river. It is the 37th largest square in the world, having an area of about 75,000 square metres (807,293 square feet) which can accommodate a rally of more than 100,000 people. The square has a great cultural significance, as it is a common gathering place for concerts, rallies, dances and military parades and is often featured in media concerning North Korea.

Overview

The Kim Il Sung Square is at the center of Pyongyang on the west bank of the Taedong River. It is similar in form and design to the Tiananmen Square in Beijing and is used for the same purposes. Since the completion of the square, multiple parades have been held to commemorate many different events and also to show the world the military capabilities of North Korea. The Kim Il Sung Square is architecturally more refined with its dramatic riverside setting. If an observer stands in the square, the Tower of the Juche Idea on the opposite bank appears to be located directly towards the west end of the square, although it is actually across the Taedong River, as with the Workers' Party Monument and the Mansudae Grand Monument. This optical effect is created because the square is a few meters lower in the center when compared to the side near the Taedong River. Surrounding the square are a number of government buildings, with the Great People's Study House located at the east end of the square. At the south end are two flag poles which were installed in 2013 for use in national events.

Under the square, there is a department store selling products such as toys.

Kim Il Sung Square is the "kilometre zero" of North Korea from where all national road distances are measured.

History

Portraits of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin once hung on one of the buildings surrounding the square, but were taken down sometime in 2012. During Kim Jong Il's rule, only Kim Il Sung hung on these buildings, although his portrait on the building below the flag of the DPRK was removed. When Kim Jong Il died, his portrait was added to the buildings in commemoration.

After the Singapore Trump-Kim summit in 2018, North Korea removed the anti-American imperialism propaganda in Kim Il Sung Square. Also, North Korea cancelled the annual 'anti-US' rally event in 2018. In 2017, the protests that were held in Kim Il Sung Square were supposedly attended by 100,000 people. Furthermore, North Korea issued special anti-US postage stamps in 2017.

The old ceremonial grandstand on the square's south side was renovated in 2020 with a second phrase which took place in 2025 which even expanded to the wider complex. There are plans for a square renovation plan, which would enthral the transfer to the new Hwasong district of the government facilities and museums located in the square complex to give way to a massive expansion of its open space.

References

References

  1. "Kim Il Sung Square". [[Naenara]].
  2. Martin, Bradley K. (2006) ''Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea And the Kim Dynasty.'' St Martins Press. {{ISBN. 978-0-312-32322-6. p. 774
  3. [http://www.newkoreatours.com/pyongyang_tours.html Pyongyang Images] {{Webarchive. link. (2019-03-21 , New Korea Tours)
  4. Kwan, Lee Kyo. [http://www.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200107/200107220170.html Mammoth Underground Square and Road in Pyongyang] {{webarchive. link. (2005-02-07 . Digital Chosunilbo. July 22, 2001)
  5. "Kim Il Sung Square".
  6. (2021-09-27). "A diplomat's life: The pleasures of retail therapy in the North Korean capital".
  7. Talmadge, Eric. (20 November 2017). "Lonely highways: On the road in Kim Jong Un's North Korea". AP News.
  8. "Kim Il-sung Square gets a [relatively] new look".
  9. (2018-06-25). "North Korea cancels annual 'anti-US' rally as relations improve".
  10. Smith, Josh. (2018-06-24). "North Korea appears to be getting rid of its anti-American propaganda after the Trump-Kim summit".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

squares-in-north-korea geography-of-pyongyang national-squares kim-il-sung 1954-establishments-in-north-korea buildings-and-structures-completed-in-1954 20th-century-architecture-in-north-korea kilometre-zero-markers
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