Kim Il-sung Square

Kim Il-sung Square is a large city square in the Central District of Pyongyang, North Korea,[1] 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.[1] It was opened in August 1954.[2] The square is located on the foot of the Namsan Hill,[1] 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.[3][4] The square has a great cultural significance, as it is a common gathering place for rallies, dances and military parades and is often featured in media concerning North Korea.

Kim Il-sung Square
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
김일성광장
Hancha
Revised RomanizationGim Il-seong Gwangjang
McCune–ReischauerKim Il-sŏng Kwangjang

Overview

The Kim Il-sung Square is at the centre 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 one stands in the square, the Tower of the Juche Idea on the opposite bank appears to sit at the other end of the square, although it is actually across the river, similar to the Workers' Party Monument and the Mansudae Grand Monument. The optical effect is achieved since the square is a few meters lower in the middle than near the waterside. Surrounding the square are a number of government buildings, with the Great People's Study House sitting at the "head" of the square.

Portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are displayed on buildings surrounding the square where portraits of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin once hung. During Kim Jong-il's rule, only Kim Il-sung hung on these buildings, as his portrait does in every room in North Korea. When Kim Jong-il died, his portrait was added to the buildings in commemoration. At the south end are two flag poles which were installed in 2013 for use in national events.

  • Pyongyang as seen from the Juche Tower, facing west across the Taedong River. The large square in the centre is Kim Il-sung Square; the large building behind it is the Grand People's Study House.
  • The Kim Il-sung square, with the Grand People's Study House, also known as the National Library of North Korea.
  • The Kim Il-sung Square across the Taedong River from the Juche Tower, Pyongyang.
  • The Kim Il-sung square, as viewed from the Study Hall to the Juche Tower.
  • New Year fireworks from Kim Il-sung Square, January 2017.

Removal of Anti-American Propaganda

After the Singapore Trump-Kim summit in 2018, North Korea removed the anti-American 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.[5][6]

References
  1. "Kim Il Sung Square". Naenara. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
  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. Pyongyang Images Archived 2019-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, New Korea Tours
  4. Kwan, Lee Kyo. Mammoth Underground Square and Road in Pyongyang Archived 2005-02-07 at the Wayback Machine. Digital Chosunilbo. July 22, 2001
  5. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-anti-us-rally-cancel-donald-trump-kim-jong-un-a8415461.html |title= North Korea cancels annual ‘anti-US’ rally as relations improve following Trump-Kim meeting
  6. https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-scraps-anti-american-propaganda-after-the-trump-summit-2018-6/?r=AU&IR=T |title= getting rid of its anti-American propaganda after the Trump-Kim summit

Further reading
  • Corfield, Justin (2014). "Kim Il Sung Square". Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. London: Anthem Press. ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.

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