Kim Il-sung Square facts for kids
| Kim Il-sung Square | |
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Quick facts for kids Korean name |
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| Chosŏn'gŭl |
김일성광장
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| Hancha | |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Il-seong Gwangjang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Il-sŏng Kwangjang |
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 meters (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 rallies, dances and military parades and is often featured in media concerning North Korea.
Overview
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. The optical effect is achieved since the square is a few meters lower in the middle than near the waterside.
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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, however, 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.
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Removal of Anti-American Propaganda
After the Singapore Trump-Kim summit in 2018, the DPRK removed the anti-American propaganda in Kim Il-Sung Square. Also, Pyongyang 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, Pyongyang issued special anti-US postage stamps in 2017.
Images for kids
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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.
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The Kim Il-sung square, with the Grand People's Study House, also known as the National Library of North Korea.
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The Kim Il-sung Square and the Tower of Juche Idea seen from the Grand People's Study House.
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The Kim Il-sung square, as viewed from the Study Hall to the Juche Tower.69
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New Year fireworks at Kim Il-sung Square, January 2017.
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See also
In Spanish: Plaza Kim Il-sung para niños
