The Arch of Reunification, officially the Monument to the Three-Point Charter for National Reunification,
is a sculptural
arch
An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.
Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
located south of
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
, the capital of
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. It was opened in August 2001 to commemorate
Korean reunification
Korean reunification () is the potential reunification of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea into a single Korean sovereign state. The process towards reunification was started by the June 15th North–South Joi ...
proposals put forward by
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
.
The concrete arch straddles the multi-laned
Reunification Highway
The Reunification Highway, officially known as the Pyongyang-Kaesong Motorway (), is a controlled-access highway in North Korea. It connects the capital Pyongyang to the Joint Security Area at the Korean Demilitarized Zone via Sariwon and Kaesong. ...
leading from Pyongyang to the
DMZ
A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...
. It consists of two Korean women in traditional dress (), symbolizing the North and the South,
leaning forward to jointly uphold a sphere bearing a map of a
reunified Korea. The sphere is the emblem of the Three Charters; the
Three Principles of National Reunification
The Three Principles of National Reunification were proposed by General Secretary Kim Il-Sung of North Korea in 1972 and can be summarised as achieving reunification ''independently'', ''unitedly'', and ''peacefully''. They comprised the followin ...
; the
Plan of Establishing the Democratic Federal Republic of Korea
A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal.
...
and the
. The original plan was to have a 55-metre pillar with three branches to represent Koreans in the north, the south, and overseas.
The plinth of the structure is engraved with messages of support for reunification and peace from various individuals, organizations, and nations.
The arch appeared on a postage stamp in 2002.
References
External links
*
Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification' at
Naenara
Naenara () is the official web portal of the North Korean government. It was the first website in North Korea, and was created in 1996. The portal's categories include politics, tourism, music, foreign trade, arts, press, information technology, ...
Buildings and structures in Pyongyang
Monuments and memorials in North Korea
Arches and vaults
North Korea–South Korea relations
Outdoor sculptures in North Korea
2001 establishments in North Korea
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