The April 25 House of Culture is a theatre located in

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 populat ...

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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. It was built in 1974–1975 to provide a venue for military education, and was originally called the February 8 House of Culture. It is located on Pipha Street in the Moranbong District of Pyongyang. The classically colonnaded building is considered one of the best examples of 1970s socialist monumentality in North Korea, the other being the visually similar

Mansudae Art Theatre The Mansudae Art Theatre () is a theatre located near the Grand People's Study House central library, in North Korea. It was completed in 1976. It is used as a venue for the Samjiyon Band. See also * List of theatres in North Korea * Mansuda ...

. It has been the location of many historic events, from the 6th, 7th, and

8th 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

congresses of the

Korean Workers' Party The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party o ...

, to the historic meeting of Kim Jong-il with the

president of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

, in 2007.

Construction

A site was cleared and actual construction on the theatre building was begun in April 1974. The building is wide across the front, deep, and rises to a height of almost . It contains two large theatres with 6,000 seats and 1,100 seats respectively with a cinema theatre of 600 seats. Its over of floor space provide for some 600 other rooms in support of the theatres. The building opened on 7 October 1975.

Name

The building as proposed was originally named the February 8 House of Culture after the date of the founding of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...

(KPA). It was opened under this name and the

6th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea The 6th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was held in the February 8 House of Culture in Pyongyang, North Korea, from 10 to 14 October 1980. The congress is the highest organ of the party, and is stipulated to be held every four ye ...

was held there on 10 to 14 October 1980, under this name. After the congress the building was sometimes referred to as Congress Hall; however, subsequently the name was changed to the April 25 House of Culture, the founding date of the resistance army against the Japanese, in order to reflect the historical connection, and the continuity, with the KPA. which cites: "Puk chuyo’gi’nyŏm’il 5–10 nyŏnmada taegyumo yŏlpyŏngsik" (North Korea Holds Large Military Parades for Anniversaries Every 5–10 years), Chosŏn Ilbo, 25 April 2007; Chang Jun-ik, "Pukhan Inmingundaesa" (History of the North Korean Military), Seoul, Sŏmundang, 1991, pp. 19–88; North Korea's Military Foundation Day had been changed earlier, in 1978, from 9 February to 25 April.

Usage

The April 25 House of Culture is home to the April 25th Culture and Art Composition Office, which is in charge of organizing major KPA cultural events, including international conferences and state funerals. In addition to meetings for military education, awards and solidarity, and official state ceremonies and party meetings such as the 6th and 7th Congresses of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...

, the theatres in the 25 April House of Culture are used for cultural events such as performances by the Korean People's Army Ensemble, or the band

Moranbong Moranbong or Moran Hill (literally "PeonyHill", often "PeonyPeak") forms a park located in central Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Its summit is the location of the Pyongyang TV Tower. There are multiple monumental structures located o ...

. The building rarely sees visits by tourists.

In North Korean culture

The North Korean postal service issued a stamp on 7 October 1976, primarily for domestic use, depicting the then new building.Scott #1532 – Scott (2008) "Korea, Democratic People’s Republic" ''Scott 2009 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Volume 4'' (165th edition) Scott Publishing Co., Sidney, Ohio, page 276.

Notes and references

External links

February 8 House of Culture theatre control room in 1975
by Bob Hartle
archived

Photo of the February 8 House of Culture, 1975
by Bob Hartle
archived

Photo of the 25 April House of Culture, circa 1995

Photo of the 25 April House of Culture, circa 2010
{{Theatres in North Korea Theatres in North Korea Buildings and structures in Pyongyang Stalinist architecture Theatres completed in 1975 1975 establishments in North Korea