Mangyongdae Funfair

The Mangyongdae Funfair is an amusement park located in Mangyongdae-guyok, 12 kilometers from Pyongyang, North Korea. It has an area of 70 hectares including a funfair and wading pool. In fall, 2011 the funfair was reported to have little or no Korean patronage.[2] It has been alleged that there is a lack of genuine customers with many visitors being bussed in to the attraction.[3] It had a roller coaster, which, while operational, was in poor repair. There is a merry-go-round and a ridable miniature railway.

For municipality outside of Pyongyang, see Mangyongdae-guyok.
Mangyongdae Funfair
LocationMangyongdae-guyok, North Korea
Coordinates39°0′25.41″N 125°39′4.24″E
OpenedApril 15, 1982[1]
Operating seasonYear-round

The dismal atmosphere and run-down condition of the funfair were severely criticized by Kim Jong-un, during an inspection in May 2012.[4] Kim Jong-un ordered Choe Ryong-hae, Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, and others, to spruce up the funfair and bring it into compliance with the requirements of the Sŏn'gun era.[5] Kim Jong-un used the occasion to emphasize the requirement that officials have the spirit of serving the people and must abandon outdated ideological points of view and outmoded work-styles.[6]

Other parks

The Kaeson Youth Park is another amusement park in Pyongyang which also underwent innovation.[7][8] The Taesongsan Fun Fair, opened in 1977, at the foot of Mount Taesong is another.[9] The Pyongyang Folklore Park with an historical theme, also at Mount Taesong in Pyongyang, has been under construction[10] since December, 2008. There are also folk parks in Sukchon, South Pyongan Province and Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province. South Korean folk parks with an historical theme such as Korean Folk Village are popular attractions.[11]

See also

Notes
  1. "Kim Jong Un Visits Mangyongdae Amusement Park as Land Management Conference Held « North Korea Leadership Watch". Nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com. 2012-05-09. Archived from the original on 2015-01-11. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  2. Farag, Maryse (2016-04-28). "Is this the world's most depressing theme park?". The Sun. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  3. "The most depressing theme park ever". November 2011.
  4. Farag, Maryse (2016-04-28). "Is this the world's most depressing theme park?". The Sun. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  5. Sŏn'gun, the military first policy may be relevant in this context, as may assignment of a senior military officer to the task of sprucing the funfair up because the park is used, or, at least, has been used for recreation by members of the Korean People's Army and their families. Mangyongdae – The Last Funfair in North Korea, accessed May 9, 2012
  6. "Kim Jong Un Scolds Mangyongdae Funfair Staff". NK News. Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). May 9, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  7. Yoshihiro Makino (December 6, 2011). "Kim Jong Il inspects Pyongyang amusement park". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  8. "The Eerie Amusement Parks of North Korea" Archived 2012-01-02 at the Wayback Machine by Dahlia Rideout DivineCaroline.Com
  9. "Taesongsan Fun Fair". KCNA. October 8, 2011. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  10. North Korea builds Theme Park about Korean History 마감단계에 이른 평양민속공원건설"
  11. "Why is North Korea Building a Mammoth Size "Folklore Park"?". NK News. May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.

Further reading
  • Mangyongdae Fun Fair. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. 1984. OCLC 67743514.
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