Pyongyang Folk Park Opens

View of the Pyongyang Folk Park, which was opened during a ceremony held on 11 September 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK state media reported that the Pyongyang Folk Park was formally opened at a ceremony held on 11 September (Tuesday).  Attending the ceremony were DPRK Cabinet Premier Choe Yong Rim, VMar Choe Ryong Hae, VMar Kim Jong Gak, Korean Workers’ Party [KWP] Secretary Choe Tae Bok, Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Presidium Vice President Yang Hyong Sop and DPRK Cabinet Vice Premier and Chairman of the State Planning Commission Ro Tu Chol.  On 7 September (Friday) DPRK state media reported that Kim Jong Un conducted an inspection of the folk park prior to its opening.

Members of the DPRK central leadership walks around the Pyongyang Folk Park after attending a ceremony opening the park. Seen in the front are KWP Political Bureau Presidium Members VMar Choe Ryong Hae (L) and Choe Yong Rim (R) (Photo: KCNA)

At the completion ceremony the keynote address was delivered by VMar Kim Jong Gak, Minister of the People’s Armed Forces.  Construction of the Pyongyang Folk Park was completed by Korean People’s Army [KPA] Large Combined Unit (taeyonhap pudae) #630, which is technically subordinate to the MPAF.  VMar Kim described the park as “one of the nation’s treasures and monumental edifices in the military-first (so’ngun) era initiated by leader Kim Jong Il and built under the energetic guidance of the dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un true to the noble intention of President Kim Il Sung.”

A miniature replica of the Juche Tower at Pyongyang Folk Park (Photo: KCNA)

KCNA reports:

The Pyongyang Folk Park vividly showing the long history and time-honored culture of the Korean people was built in the area of Mt. Taesong.

The park consists of the district for comprehensive history education, district for the display of historic relics, modern district, folk village district, folk playing district, park district of Mt. Paektu and Mt. Kumgang and the management and operation district. It is an open-air history museum where visitors can see and experience at first hand the good qualities of the Korean nation and the genuine socialist national culture developing day by day.

The construction of the park greatly helps the Korean people, including and school youth and children, inherit and glorify the excellent tradition and brilliant culture of the nation.

The ceremony for its completion was held on Tuesday.

Present there were Choe Yong Rim, Choe Ryong Hae, Kim Jong Gak, Choe Thae Bok, Yang Hyong Sop and others and officials of party, armed forces and power organs and working people’s organizations, ministries and national institutions and officials in the fields of science, education, culture and art and soldier-builders, employees of the park and working people in Pyongyang.

Vice Marshal of the KPA Kim Jong Gak, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK and minister of the People’s Armed Forces, made an inaugural speech.

The park is one of the nation’s treasures and the monumental edifices in the Songun era initiated by leader Kim Jong Il and built under the energetic guidance of the dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un true to the noble intention of President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Gak said, adding: Kim Jong Il made sure that the park was built around the best site of the Anhak Palace, setting store by the excellent national character of the Korean people who have covered the road of independent development over the long historic period.

Kim Jong Un gave field guidance to the construction site several times, true to Kim Jong Il’s plan for building the park, and has wisely led the KPA to finish the project in the spirit of “at a go”.

The energetic and meticulous guidance of Kim Jong Un served as a main engine encouraging soldier-builders to fully display the mental power to devotedly carry out the instructions and the creative spirit as a revolutionary army which does not know impossibility.

The speaker underscored the need to spruce up the park and successfully manage and operate it.

At the end of the ceremony, the participants were briefed on the park before touring it.