Pyongyang
The name Pyongyang means "flat land" or "cozy place". The city has about 2 million inhabitants. Pyongyang is situated at the Taedong River. Northwest of the city are hills. “Pyongyang Republic” is one of the terms associated with North Korea. It means that the capital city enjoys special treatment, from rations to key infrastructure, provided by authorities. In North Korea, Pyongyang is defined as the holy place of independence, the heart of the Korean people and the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Although Seoul suffered damage during the Korean War, there still remain the vestiges of the past. In Pyongyang, in contrast, all the past had vanished without a trace. For example, there are no alleys in the heart of Pyongyang. As you know, alleyways are typically formed gradually over a long time span. Pyongyang was completely ruined during the war. North Korea started from scratch and built a new socialist city in a very short period of time.
Called the “heart of the revolution” by local people, Pyongyang is the symbol of the North Korean regime and an ideal place which the nation hopes to show to the outside world. Kim Il-sung Square is North Korea’s largest propaganda venue, where major political and cultural events like military parades and mass rallies frequently take place. Pyongyang was designed as an ideal socialist city. In urban planning for socialist cities, public cultural facilities like libraries or theaters as well as squares are considered highly important.
Kim Il-sung Square is North Korea’s largest propaganda venue, where major political and cultural events like military parades and mass rallies frequently take place. Kim Il-sung Square is located in the center of Pyongyang. Constructed in 1954, the square consists of a rectangular-shaped main square paved with granite, a smaller square and a VIP stage. With 75-thousand square meters, the square can accommodate some 100-thousand people.
Located in the heart of Pyongyang, Kim Il-sung Square is surrounded by the Grand People’s Study House, government buildings, an art gallery and a museum. That is, a library, an art gallery and a museum comprise the heart of Pyongyang. What does it mean? North Korea is telling the people that they are the master of the country, encouraging them to read books, study hard and cultivate themselves as decent citizens. The Grand People’s Study House is North Korea’s central library that was completed in 1982. Constructed in a traditional Korean style, the ten-story building has a total floor space of 100-thousand square meters. It can house 30 million books, and it has 600 rooms including more than 20 reading rooms with 6,000 seats.
The structure was built in 1982, timed with the 70th birthday of former leader Kim Il-sung. In the course of rebuilding the country after the war in the 1950s, North Korea received massive assistance from the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. As a result, many buildings in major cities in North Korea, including Pyongyang, were constructed in the Eastern European architectural style. North Korea realized that the country had been influenced too heavily by foreign culture. Kim Il-sung began to advocate something independent or “North Korean-style.” North Korea believed that reviving traditional elements was at the core of socialist architecture. As a result, traditional architectural style was adopted in public cultural facilities, including the Grand People’s Study House. It symbolized North Korea’s juche or self-reliance ideology.
Sports facilities also serve as one of the landmarks of Pyongyang. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is a good example. During the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in 2018, South Korean President Moon Jae-in gave a speech to the North Korean spectators at the stadium. Named after May Day, the international day celebrating labor, the large stadium can seat up to 150-thousand people. North Korea holds important events or treats foreign guests there. When former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Pyongyang, the North held the large-scale Arirang mass gymnastic and artistic performance as well as card stunts at the May Day Stadium. The stadium is covered with a huge roof featuring multiple arches.
Hotels also comprise the main architecture of Pyongyang. Many foreigners visiting North Korea stay at the Koryo Hotel, which opened in 1985. During the 2018 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, a press center was set up there. The Yanggakdo International Hotel, located on Yanggak Island in the Taedong River, is one of the most luxurious operating hotels in North Korea.
But the most famous North Korean hotel, albeit incomplete, is the Ryugyong Hotel. The 105-story building was designed to house 3,000 rooms. Construction started in 1987 but was suspended later due to economic reasons. After repeated suspension and resumption of construction, it still remains unfinished. At present, the hotel’s exterior is decorated with metal and glass, while LED lights are installed on its wall for light shows at night.
A science and technology center called the Sci-Tech Complex is located on Ssuk Island in the Taedong River. Completed in 2015, the building surpasses the Grand People’s Study House, in terms of size. It looks like an atom from above, indicating the country’s determination not to give up its nuclear ambition.
In the 1960s, North Korea was better off than South Korea, mainly due to scientific development. But later, North Korea’s science and technology lagged behind badly. North Korea decided to give special treatment to scientists again and created the Mirae Scientists Street, which is at the other side of the Sci-Tech Complex. North Korea began to show trust in science again, in the belief that it would be able to overcome hardships and revive socialism through science.
The colors of streets in Pyongyang have changed significantly. Previously, streets were untidy and achromatic-colored. But since Kim Jong-un took power, bright, pastel tone colors have dominated Pyongyang’s streets to create a more open atmosphere. That’s a major change.
Pyongyang is treated particularly well because it is just too much for North Korea to take care of every region. The North hopes to promote a more positive image of the nation by developing its capital at the very least. Pyongyang has also been known by locals as the place where their supreme leader lives. For them, it is only natural that such an important place should be treated differently and favorably.
When a provisional committee was established as the central administrative agency of North Korea in 1946, Pyongyang was separated from South Pyongan Province and became a special city. It was later classified as a directly-administered city so that it could grow into a center of politics, economy, society and culture.
In ancient times, Pyongyang was the capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Goguryeo and was called Seogyeong during the Goryeo Dynasty. In North Korea, Pyongyang was developed as the capital of the revolution after the nation’s founder Kim Il-sung instructed his son Kim Jong-il in 1975 to rebuild the city. Then in 1998, the nation enacted a law concerning the management of Pyongyang.
The special treatment of Pyongyang is guaranteed by law. The Pyongyang City Management Law stipulates that the state shall invest everything including materials and funds into Pyongyang first. That means resources from all around the nation should be focused on the construction of Pyongyang and the benefits are enjoyed by its citizens. In a socialist state where commodities are in short supply, the best quality goods are provided to Pyongyang first. While the state-controlled rationing system has collapsed in North Korea, it is still working in Pyongyang, though only in part. To put it briefly, Pyongyang enjoys special benefits for everything.
Citizen cards are issued to people living in the capital. By separating Pyongyang’s citizens from residents in other regions, the cards remind them that residing in the capital is a significant privilege. While residents in other areas must obtain a special travel certificate to enter the city, those with Pyongyang citizen cards are allowed to travel to neighboring regions without any certificate. The supply of electricity is relatively stable in Pyongyang and the rationing system was still in place in the capital even during the “Arduous March” period in the 1990s when more than a million people in the nation starved to death. But these privileges also come with duties.
Pyongyang’s citizens should serve as a model to people in other regions. Video footage shows numerous people on the roads welcoming visiting foreign leaders such as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Of course, they are all citizens of the capital. Students in Pyongyang often take part in mass gymnastics shows. They are all mobilized for the events without being paid. Citizens can be expelled from the capital if they do something wrong so they should behave extremely carefully and obey the rules. The people of Pyongyang enjoy benefits but also bear burdens as well.
Most foreigners who have visited North Korea agree that Pyongyang is pretty clean. In fact, the citizens of the capital are mobilized to clean their neighborhoods several months before international events or a foreign guest’s visit to the city. Meanwhile, students have to stop studying for months to prepare for mass gymnastics events, while office workers also frequently attend important events.
Pyongyang’s citizens show greater loyalty than people in any other region, due to the various benefits given to them. Only those with proper family backgrounds and devotion to the party and the leader are entitled to Pyongyang citizenship. Those with any flaws like a criminal record are disqualified. If citizens fail to participate in mass mobilization, they could be thrown out of the city.
High-ranking officials who loyally serve their party, government or military and the new class of wealthy businesspeople known as donju live in the capital, where the standard of living is quite high.
Rich people in Pyongyang live in large, luxury houses with a great view and eat at upscale restaurants, where they are said to spend up to 300 dollars on a single meal. In the past, citizens weren’t very interested in foreign brands. But since the 2000s, wealthy people have increasingly sought global brands in cosmetics and sportswear. Many citizens like to work out using imported exercise equipment. There are even services to help people lose weight and a variety of entertainment facilities. If you visit Pyongyang and hang out with a high-ranking official or rich person, you may wonder if you are in North Korea or South Korea. Pyongyang is turning into a place where one can fully enjoy an affluent life.
The Washington Post coined a new word “Pyonghattan” in 2016 to describe the lives of wealthy North Korean people. As indicated with the combination of the words “Pyongyang” and “Manhattan,” the lives of rich people in Pyongyang are beyond imagination.
Pyongyang has also improved its outer appearance, with new streets and towns created under Kim Jong-un’s rule. They include Unha Scientists Street which was completed in 2013, Satellite Scientists Street in 2014 and Future Scientists Street in 2015. In 2017, Pyongyang also opened Ryomyong Street which is lined with high-rise buildings including a 70-story luxury apartment. It is reported that the large-scale project was completed just a year after construction began.
There has also been a change in the way Pyongyang’s people dress. Previously, their outfits looked almost the same. But now, it is common to see women dressed in bright and colorful clothes and wearing high heels. You can also see people talking over mobile phones and moving around using taxis. However, since Pyongyang is developing fast, the polarization of wealth is also deepening.
Since North Korea is embracing the elements of a market economy, the widening gap between the rich and the poor is becoming a serious social problem. The phenomenon of “the rich get richer while the poor get poorer” is clearly seen in Pyongyang, where the wealthiest people in the nation live. There are also poor citizens who live in a slum area, but the city just can’t kick them out without any reason. In line with the high level of consumption, prices are quite high in Pyongyang. The high prices make the lives of poor citizens even more difficult and contribute to them feeling deprived.
Foreign visitors to Pyongyang may think that North Korea has changed a lot in a positive way, but the city can also expose the dark side of society like the gap between the haves and have-nots. Pyongyang is a miniature version of North Korea.
The area north of the Taedong River in Pyongyang is an affluent district where central agencies like the Workers’ Party and the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces are located, while the area south of the river is an urban slum where laborers live. An invisible barrier dividing the two sides of the river in Pyongyang is developing into a serious emotional issue of polarization, which is actually emerging in the entire nation.
The various benefits given to Pyongyang and the introduction of a market economy may make people believe that the North Korean economy has improved, at least on the surface. But the capital city lays bare the fact that regional disparity will only widen without comprehensive reform measures.
The high-rise suburbs are connected to the city center by huge thoroughfares - one even being 13 lanes wide. The Pyongyang metro is an easy way of transportation within the city. Pyongyang's subway consists of a north-south route (14 km) and east-west route (20 km), crossing each other. The two routes combined extend for 34 km. 8 stations are set up along the north-south route and 9 stations on the east-west route. The stations have been, like the Moscow example, decorated with reliefs and revolutionary paintings. Stations are named after propaganda terms, like Comrade, Victory, and Construction, instead of regional names. Comrade station (north-south route) and Victory station (east-west route) are transfer stations on the Pyongyang subway. Construction work on the north-south route and east-west route began simultaneously in 1968, but the construction of the north-south route was completed in September 1973, and the construction of the east-west route in September 1978. The Mankyungdae route (about 10 km) linking Kwangbok station to the Mankyungdae district, where Kim Il-sung's birthplace is located, was planned for completion by October 2000.
The Pyongyang subway is renowned for its depth. The Puhung (Reconstruction) station is dug 100 meters under Pyongyang. Because it was dug 150-meters underground (versus 10-30 meters in Seoul), escalators must be used for going up and down inside the subway. The subway was constructed at such a depth underground to cope with times of emergency like war, but has a tendency to consume too much electricity for its operations.
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