Revolutionary Site

Mangyongdae Revolutionary Site
Revolutionary Site
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Revised RomanizationHyeongmyeong-sajeokji
McCune–ReischauerHyŏngmyŏng-sajŏkchi
Revolutionary Battle Site
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Revised RomanizationHyeongmyeong-jeonjeokji
McCune–ReischauerHyŏngmyŏng-jŏnjŏkchi

Revolutionary Sites (Korean: 혁명사적지) are designated historical sites in North Korea.[1] The sites were designated by Kim Jong Il when he began working at the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1966.[2][3] He would send troops all over the country to unearth sites that "were supposedly once forgotten and undiscovered".[4] By converting North Korea into a "huge open museum",[5] Kim's goal in designating the sites was to solidify the North Korean cult of personality centered around him and his father Kim Il Sung.[2]

In 1988, there were 27 such sites.[6] Today, there are more than 60. Of them, 40 commemorate Kim Il Sung, 20 Kim Jong Il, and many others Kim Hyong-jik, Kim Jong-suk, Kim Hyong-gwon and other members of the Kim family.[7]

There are two categories of sites, Revolutionary Sites and Revolutionary Battle Sites. Rather than a single building or a point of interest, the sites spawn large areas.[8] Some famous Revolutionary Sites include Mangyongdae, the birthplace of Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang,[9] and Jangjasan Revolutionary Site and Oun Revolutionary Site associated with the youth of Kim Jong Il.[8] The Mount Paektu area in particular hosts many sites.[10]

South Koreans have criticized the sites for "wip[ing] out traditional culture".[11]

  1. ^ Kim 2003, p. 113.
  2. ^ a b Lim Jae-Cheon (2008). Kim Jong-il's Leadership of North Korea. New York: Routledge. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-134-01712-6.
  3. ^ Armstrong, Charles K. (2013). Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950–1992. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-8014-6893-3.
  4. ^ Korea & World Affairs. Vol. 32. Seoul: Research Center for Peace and Unification. 2008. p. 308. OCLC 607604144.
  5. ^ A Handbook on North Korea (1st revised ed.). Seoul: Naewoe Press. 1998. p. 115. OCLC 469900828.
  6. ^ Lee Ik-sang (1988). A Peek into North Korea. Seoul: Naewoe Press. p. 30. OCLC 604909014.
  7. ^ "Forced To Hate". People for Successful Corean Reunification. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  8. ^ a b Lim Jae-Cheon (2015). Leader Symbols and Personality Cult in North Korea: The Leader State. New York: Routledge. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-317-56741-7.
  9. ^ Hoare, James; Pares, Susan (2005). North Korea in the Twenty-first Century. Global Oriental. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-901903-96-6.
  10. ^ "Two British scientists visit North Korea's mysterious Mt. Paektu volcano". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  11. ^ A Comparative Study of South and North Korea. Seoul: National Unification Board. 1982. p. 129. OCLC 471661066.