Pyongyang Arch of Triumph
Bigger is better in North Korea, and standing at 60 meters the Pyongyang Arch is the World’s largest triumphal arch – sorry Paris.
As a gift from Kim Jong-il to Kim Il-sung for his 70th birthday, the arch has 25,500 blocks of white granite, each representing a day in his life up to that point – another equally impressive 70th birthday gift with the same sort of construction numerology is the Tower of the Juche Idea.
The arch was commemorated to highlight the 1925-1945 revolutionary struggles and victory over the occupying Japanese forces. Supposedly there are rooms and viewing pavilions but I have never been let inside or had a closeup look.
A Bird’s Eye View of Pyongyang – Post #2
Pictures of Pyongyang, North Korea taken from the top of Juche Tower.
Monument to the Founding of the North Korean Workers’ Party.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
East bank of the Taedong River, old Pyongyang City.
Pyongyang Mansudae housing project.
Kim Il-sung Square Pyongyang.
All photos by Joseph A Ferris III
Related articles
- A Bird’s Eye View of Pyongyang – Post #1 (americaninnorthkorea.com)
Pyongyang Mansudae Housing Complex
Built in 100 days* to commemorate the 100th birthday of ‘eternal president’ Kim Il-sung, the new Mansudae housing project is the latest addition to the Pyongyang skyline. Also seen in the picture above is a new mural of Kim Jong-il. Conspicuously absent during his lifetime, grand murals and statues of Kim Jong-il are being unveiled and installed throughout Pyongyang.
View of the Mansudae housing complex as seen from the base of Juche Tower.
View of Mansudae housing complex as seen from the top of Juche Tower.
Video of the Mansudae housing complex nighttime light show – shocking evidence of change in the DPRK considering that last summer the city was blacked out by power shortages every night by 9PM.
*Although said to have been built in 100 days, I was told the construction of the Mansudae housing complex took a little longer than that – but it was still done in an amazingly quick time. I don’t remember any construction in that area of the city during my summer 2011 visit.
Ladies in Formation – North Korean Marching Practice
Women getting ready for the Arirang Mass Games? Marching and in formation under the Juche Tower, DPRK, North Korea. Ray Cunningham gave me a better explanation of what is going on in these pictures, “Generally these are practices for holiday parades such as National Day 11 September or Party Day 10 October. This would probably be the National Day parade – I heard it but was kept away. There is always something going on in Kim Il-sung square or by the tower practicing for something. What is rarer is for the guides not to freak when you are in the middle of the practice. Love this one.”
The above picture is a crop and edit of my header pic, it also happens to be yesterday’s most viewed North Korea pic from my Flickr account.
The unedited and uncropped version above, more related photos below.
