Kaeson Revolutionary Site

Kaeson Revolutionary Site
LocationMoranbong, Pyongyang
Coordinates39°2′44.32″N 125°45′20.28″E / 39.0456444°N 125.7556333°E / 39.0456444; 125.7556333[1]
Contemporary photograph of Kim Il Sung delivering his speech
Detail from the mural

Kaeson Revolutionary Site (개선혁명사적지) is a Revolutionary Site in Pyongyang. It marks the spot near Kim Il Sung Stadium where Kim Il Sung delivered his victory speech after the liberation of Korea on 14 October 1945,[2] entitled "Every Effort for the Building of a New Democratic Korea".[3] At that time, the place was called the Pyongyang Public Ground (평양공설운동장).[2] There is a mural depicting the scene at the site.[2] A quotation from the speech is carved in stone reads: "To contribute positively to the work of building the state, let those with strength give strength, let those with knowledge give knowledge, let those with money give money".[4] The site is located in the Moranbong area,[5] west of the hill of the same name.[6]

The speech was the first opportunity for many to see Kim Il Sung in person, after he already had a reputation for his guerrilla activities. The rally at which Kim spoke was sponsored by the Soviets.[2] About 300,000 people took part.[7] Contemporary photographs show Kim surrounded by Red Army personnel and wearing Soviet medals.[2] These facts are not reproduced in the mural.[7][2]

The site was dedicated in 1987.[2] It is just across the street from the Arch of Triumph,[8] which is a related but more famous landmark,[2] marking the spot where Kim Il Sung entered Pyongyang in August 1945 when the city was liberated.[9]

  1. ^ North Korea Uncovered (KMZ) (Google Earth). Version 18. North Korean Economy Watch. 25 June 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Corfield 2014b, p. 72.
  3. ^ Dae-Sook Suh (1981). Korean Communism, 1945–1980: A Reference Guide to the Political System. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-8248-0740-5.
  4. ^ Burdick 2010, p. 250.
  5. ^ Corfield 2014c, p. 146.
  6. ^ Hoare, James; Pares, Susan (2005). North Korea in the Twenty-first Century. Folkestone: Global Oriental. p. 178. ISBN 978-1-901903-96-6.
  7. ^ a b Cha, Victor (2012). The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future. London: Random House. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-4481-3958-3.
  8. ^ Burdick 2010, p. 249.
  9. ^ Corfield 2014a, p. 8.