The Monument to Party Founding () is a monument 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 ...

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

. The monument is rich in symbolism: its hammer, sickle and calligraphy brush symbolize the workers, farmers and

intellectuals An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or as ...

. It is 50 meters high to symbolize the 50-year anniversary of the founding 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 number of slabs comprising the belt around the monument and its diameter stand for the date of birth of Kim Jong-il. The inscription on the outer belt says "Long live the leader and organizer of the victories of the people of Korea, the Workers' Party of Korea!" On the inside of the belt are three bronze reliefs with their distinct meanings: the historical root of the party, the unity of people under the party and the party's vision for a progressive future. Two red flag-shaped buildings with letters forming the words "ever-victorious" surround the monument.

History

The monument, designed by

Mansudae Art Studio The Mansudae Art Studio is an art studio in Pyeongcheon District, Pyongyang, North Korea. It was founded in 1959, and it is one of the largest centers of art production in the world, at an area of over 120,000 square meters. The studio employs ar ...

, was completed on 10 October 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the

. A previous monument dedicated to the foundation had been erected on 10 October 1975 on the grounds of the Party Founding Museum. The Monument to Party Founding appeared on postage stamps in 1995 and 2005 and is featured on the 50 won banknote.

Features

Monument fo Workers party, view from Mansudae Grand Monument

Monument to the Founding of the Worker's Party Pyongyang

The monument is situated on Munsu Street in the Taedonggang District of

, on the bank of the

Taedong River The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthenin ...

. On the opposite side of the river is the

Mansu Hill Grand Monument The Mansu Hill Grand Monument (Hangul, Chosŏn'gŭl: 만수대대기념비; Hanja: 萬壽臺大紀念碑) is a complex of monuments in Pyongyang, North Korea. There are 229 figures in all, commemorating the history of the revolutionary struggle o ...

, and the

Korean Revolutionary Museum The Korean Revolution Museum (), located in Pyongyang, North Korea, was founded on August 1, 1948, and holds a large exhibition of items related to Kim Il Sung and the Korean revolutionary movement. It is situated behind the Mansu Hill Grand Monum ...

, both of which the Monument to Party Founding is symmetrically aligned with. This axis across the center of Pyongyang symbolizes the

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

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 ...

and Kim Jong-il. The monument site in its entirety spans 25,000 square meters. This includes a plaza in front of the monument where dances and festivities are held. The lawn of the park surrounding the monument is 15,000 square meters in extent. There are 12 fountain basins. The grounds are spotted with more than 53,000 trees. There are symmetrical, waving flag-shaped, red residential buildings on either side of the monument. The letters on top of the buildings read: "ever-victorious". The monument itself is made of granite and the reliefs are bronze. Three highest element of the monument features three clenched fists holding a hammer, sickle and a calligraphy brush. The hammer and sickle symbolize workers and farmers and the brush

. The triumvirate is based on the emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea. The monument reaches to a height of 50 meters to signify the 50th anniversary of the party. The architectural style bears resemblance to concrete structures in the city, such as the

Pyongyang Ice Rink The Pyongyang Ice Rink () is an indoor ice hockey venue on the bank of Pothong River in Pyongyang, North Korea. The Pyongyang Peoples Outdoor Ice Rink is a recent construction. History The arena was built in 1982. It has 6,000 seats,

or the

Ryugyong Hotel The Ryugyong Hotel (; sometimes spelled as Ryu-Gyong Hotel), or Yu-Kyung Hotel, more commonly known outside of North Korea as the "Hotel of Doom", is an unfinished 105-story, pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea. Its name ("cap ...

Belt

The three fists are surrounded by a belt, symbolizing the "single-hearted unity of the leader, Party and people". The inscription on the outer belt reads: "Long live the leader and organizer of the victories of the people of Korea, the Workers' Party of Korea!" () The diameter of the belt is 50 meters on the outside and 42 meters on the inside. The belt is made of 216 blocks. The 216 blocks and the 42-meter inner diameter symbolize the date 16 February 1942, the purported date of birth of Kim Jong-il. In reality, he was born on 16 February 1941 in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. The circular foundation under the monument is 70 meters in diameter symbolizing the about 70-year history of the party from the days of the Down-With-Imperialism Union. On the inside of the belt are three reliefs covering the history of the party.

References

Works cited

* * * Running time: 7:38. *

External links