This impressive building on Kim Il-sung Sq is the country’s largest library and centre of Juche studies, where any North Korean over 17 can come for free lectures. With over 30 million books, finding what you want is inevitably quite a challenge – and you will be proudly shown the impressive system of conveyor belts that can deliver books in seconds. You’ll also normally visit a reading room, a classroom, the intranet room and a room full of late-'80s cassette recorders.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.66 MILES
This tower honours the North Korean philosophy of Juche and was unveiled to mark President Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday in 1982. Indeed, the tower is made…
Monument to the Foundation of the Workers' Party
1.44 MILES
This startlingly bombastic monument has starred on the cover of more books about North Korea than almost any other. The three hands portrayed represent…
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0.86 MILES
Every itinerary includes an homage to these vast bronze statues of the smiling Great Leader and Dear Leader, the latter in his trademark parka. The first…
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Pyongyang’s central square is where North Korea’s massive military parades normally take place. The plaza is ringed by austere-looking buildings: most…
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Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum
1.62 MILES
Perhaps the most interesting museum in Pyongyang, this mouthful of an institution opened its current home in 2013 to mark the 60th anniversary of the end…
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1.71 MILES
Your guides will tell you proudly that the Triumphal Arch is 6m higher than its cousin in Paris, making it the largest of its kind in the world. The arch…
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1 MILES
This impressive statue portrays Chollima, the Korean Pegasus. It’s an interesting example of how the North Korean state has incorporated traditional…
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1.54 MILES
The USS Pueblo is a US surveillance vessel that was seized by the North Koreans off the east coast of Korea in January 1968, during a heightening of…
Nearby Pyongyang attractions
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Pyongyang’s central square is where North Korea’s massive military parades normally take place. The plaza is ringed by austere-looking buildings: most…
2. Korean National Art Gallery
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This large gallery on Kim Il-sung Square is worth a visit to see the postwar socialist-realist art collection. There are 14 rooms of prewar Korean art…
3. Korean Central History Museum
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The Korean Central History Museum is all rather predictable – a large number of exhibits about the North's struggle against imperialism and oppression.
0.36 MILES
This was the eastern gate of the ancient walled city of Pyongyang, built in the 6th century to defend the entrance to the inner fortress from the Taedong…
0.66 MILES
This tower honours the North Korean philosophy of Juche and was unveiled to mark President Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday in 1982. Indeed, the tower is made…
0.68 MILES
Located on the southern slope of Haebang Hill is this museum that originally housed the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party, as well as Kim Il…
0.7 MILES
The western gate of the original walled city of Pyongyang dates from the 6th century, but was rebuilt in the 15th century and then again in 1955.
0.86 MILES
Despite the museum’s rather misleading name, its main function is to document the death of Kim Il-sung (including a film of the extraordinary public…