Posts tagged with "North Korea"

North Korean Architecture

Posted by Ginny 3 Comments
Sep 10 2010

North Korea has this reputation of being a pastoral countryside with no buildings in sight, and that’s simply not true!  A common characteristic of North Korean buildings is that they are often tied to nationalistic ideals. A lot of the buildings were built for propaganda purposes, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t architectural wonders in their own right

The Arch of Triumph (개선문) is a sixty meter high granite monument to Kim Il Sung’s  (김일성) efforts against Japanese colonization.  A hymn dedicated to Kim is engraved on the Arch. When the Arch of Triumph was built, it was modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Visitors can ride the elevators to see the various rooms in the Arch of Triumph.

The Grand People’s Study House (인민대학습당) is a large library built in the style of traditional Korean architecture. The library houses all sorts of books and documents relating to Kim Il Jong (김정일) and his ideals. Books in English and other languages are also available, but special permission is required to read those items.

The Juche Tower (주체사상탑) is a 170 meter granite tower celebrating the Juche Ideology. Juche Ideology is based on economic autonomy, global isolationism, and emphasis on traditional Korean culture. Every granite block is supposed to symbolize every day that Kim Il Sung was alive. At night, a metal torch atop the tower is brightly lit.

The Rungrado May Day Stadium (릉라도 5월1일경기장)  was built in honor of May Day, which is a day held important by Communists. This stadium is where the mass games are held. The mass games are large spectacles featuring gymnastics performances, singing and dancing; all of which are used to praise the country and its leader.

The Ryugyong Hotel (류경 호텔) is a triangularly shaped hotel. It is actually not a completed building. Due to economic shortages, the hotel was never finished. In 2008, with the help of Egyptian investors and builders, construction on the Hotel has started. However, it’s now 2010, and it remains to be seen whether it will ever be completed.

Scenic Places in North Korea

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Sep 1 2010

North Korea covets some of the most scenic locations in Korea. When you look at these places, it’s hard to believe that the country is troubled in any way. A lot of these places are currently closed to international visitors, but once the ban is lifted, these places might be good travel spots.

Amnok River (압록강) is not only beautiful, but useful as well. The river creates hydroelectric power and provides fish for consumption. The River is also a site of tension. Amnok River borders China and some North Korean refugees have been caught fleeing the border. It’s also a historical site where the Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War were fought.

Moran Hill (모란봉) is a hill located in the capital of North Korea. Some of the tallest trees reside in Moran Hill, and some of the shrubbery is the rarest and oldest in Korea. Moran Hill is also an important historical spot. Kim Il Sung (김일성) is purported to have given a speech at this location. There are multiple monuments commemorating that event.

Baekdu Mountain (백두산) is a sight to behold in every season. Temperatures are unpredictable, which means that the highest peaks will have snow in the summer. In Korean, Baekdu means “white faced”, and was named because of its snowy peaks. Baekdu Mountain has everything. It has a waterfall, hot springs and an inactive volcano.

Heaven Lake (천지) is actually a lake formed by a crater after a large eruption. The water from the Lake is formed from precipitation. The Lake is actually located on Baekdu Mountain, but it has a status of its own in Korean legend. Heaven Lake is where Kim Jong Il (김정일) claims to have been born. In colder months, the lake is often seen frozen with ice.

Kumgangsan (금강산) is a mountain covered by forests. Near the mountain is a resort where visitors can relax. Around the area are lagoons, waterfalls and hilltops for Buddhist monasteries. In 2008, North Korean soldiers shot a woman who was a tourist. Due to the dangerous circumstances, South Korea has suspended all tourism on the site. What a pity!

North-South Trouble

Posted by Ginny No Comments
May 14 2010

If you’ve watched the news recently, North and South Korea haven’t been getting along so well. That is, of course, you could argue that they’ve never really gotten along, they’ve tolerated each other. The current news is that South Korea shot warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat. According to South Korean officials, the North Korean boat crossed the border, causing a security concern. One month earlier, the South Koreans lost a warship.

The South Korean warship was sunk, and some of the crew members did not survive. South Korean officials are investigating the sinking, but there were expressed concerns that the North Koreans were involved. In fact, the South Korean government has cut off talks to provide free tv feeds to North Korea. As a result, the North Koreans may miss out on the World Cup games. South Korea has also “reacted” or depending on your point of view, “retaliated” against North Korea by arresting two men suspected of being spies.

The North Korean government has denied sending any spies to South Korea. As you can see, tensions are running high between the two nations. To top it off, there have been rumors, and even what is assumed to be a video of Kim Jong Il visiting Chinese officials in China. If this visit did really occur, it would be Kim’s first visit to China since his visit four years ago. There have been speculations about the reason for Kim’s visit. Some say he went there to receive financial aid from the Chinese. Others say he may have wanted some assurance or an “okay” sign from the Chinese to start his nuclear program.

We’ll have to see what happens next. South Korea’s report on the sunken warship is expected to be announced soon. If the South Korean investigation of the warship concludes that the North Koreans were involved, things will not bode so well for the North Koreans. As was stated above, the South has started to show signs of cutting talks. No talks means that the North Koreans may not get food or any financial aid from the South. There have been rumors that the food supply in the North is dangerously low. If this is true, this may have been the reason for the China visit. Again, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Sung-tan-jul (성탄절)

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Dec 21 2008

What is sung-tan-jul (성탄절)?  Sung-tan-jul (성탄절) is Christmas in Korean.  As you know, some South Koreans celebrate Christmas.  However, the story’s different for North Korea.  Christianity is seen as a doctrine imported by the West.  As a result, the North Korean government views Christmas and anything associated with the West with suspicion.

Although there are a few churches in North Korea, (four to be exact) the activities of the church are monitored very closely.  The churches basically operate on the whim of the North Korean government.  If the government is displeased with the church in any way, it can arrest and imprison any of its members.  Imprisonment can lead to death for any of the church members.  The work camps in North Korea are infamous for its torture tactics.  Out of fear, North Koreans celebrate Christmas in secret.

To be honest, not many North Koreans know about Christmas.  The press is tightly controlled and scrutinized by the North Korean government.  Therefore, anything postive about the West, including Christmas, is censored by the North Korean press.  If the North Korean people saw how happy and charitable people were on Christmas, and how beautiful the streets are decorated, capitalism would seem like a positive thing.  That would threaten the North Korean agenda.

So this Christmas in North Korea, there will no christmas trees, no lights that line the streets of Pyongyang (평양) the capital of North Korea.  The only thing that will light up the streets of Pyongyang (평양) is the Juche Tower (주체상탑).  The Juche Tower (주체상탑) was made to commemorate the life of Kim Il Jong (김일정), the former dictator of North Korea.  What the tower really symbolizes is oppression and the wholesale denial of humanity.  So for all those North Koreans this year and for everyone reading this, Merry Christmas (메리 크리스마스).

North Korea

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Oct 26 2008

For the past couple of posts I’ve referred to the word “Korea” many times.  For most of those times I’ve used “Korea” to refer to the Republic of South Korea.  Today, I’m going to talk about North Korea.  Now, before I begin, I just want to preface this blog by saying that I don’t want to get into a political discussion over whether “Korea” refers to both the South and North combined or whether it refers to the South alone.  This post that I’m currently writing right now will refer to North Korea, or the country north of the Korean peninsula.

North Korea is a one party state, which means that Kim Jong-il the current leader of North Korea, is the head of state and the only leader of the state.  Being that North Korea is a one party state, there are no elections and no opposing parties.  Kim Jong-il will remain the head of state until he passes away or abdicates his power to a successor.  The successor will most likely be his son or relative, operating much like the successor systems of kings and queens.

Moreover, North Korea follows a juche (주체) ideology that centers its focus on being a self reliant state.  This means that there is no trade conducted among nations and no dissemination of media outside of North Korea.  Any outside media that is permitted is strictly censored to adhere to North Korean policy.  This is a good way to ensure that nobody talks behind the leader’s back or criticizes his policies.  You are not allowed to even criticize something as trivial as Kim Jong-il’s outfit, which I must say, is probably the nightmare of many fashion forward stylists.  I would go so far as to say that it is a green sometimes burlap colored outfit that does nothing to accentuate the good parts of your figure.  (Not that I’m a fashion expert, but if I were him I’d get a wig, some height elevation shoes, and cut back on the sweets and fats.)

Ok, back to North Korea.  (Sorry for going off topic there!)  I think Americans take it for granted when they buy a foreign watch or rent a foreign movie.  The juche (주체) ideology would seriously limit many aspects of our lives.  For example, I would be half traumatized and go into a mental breakdown if I could not get updates on what happened on Prisonbreak or Heroes which happen to be two of my favorite tv shows. Oh, and I would be sad if I couldn’t listen to the news or buy foreign books as well.  (Sort of).

Back again to North Korea (having a lot of trouble staying on topic today!)  North Korea currently faces many daunting challenges as it enters the next century.  Conflict with the U.S. over nucleur weapons and mass starvation and famine are some of the problems that plague the country.  As the role of increasing technology, particularly the internet; spreads throughout the globe, only time will tell whether North Korea will be able to sustain its juche (주체) ideology.

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