This article contains overly lengthy quotations .(May 2014) |
Grand People's Study House | |
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인민대학습당 | |
Location | Pyongyang, North Korea |
Type | Public |
Established | 1982 |
Other information | |
Website | www.gpsh.edu.kp |
Grand People's Study House | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 인민대학습당 |
---|---|
Hancha | 人民大學習堂 |
Revised Romanization | Inmin Daehakseupdang |
McCune–Reischauer | Inmin Taehaksŭptang |
The Grand People's Study House is the central library located in the North Korean capital,Pyongyang. The building is situated on Kim Il Sung Square by the banks of the Taedong River.
The Study House was constructed in a traditional Korean style in April 1982 over a period of 21 months to celebrate leader Kim Il Sung's 70th birthday. [1] The library was opened as the "centre for the project of intellectualising the whole of society and a sanctuary of learning for the entire people." [2] The library is located in the center of the capital –the Central District of Pyongyang –"which is one of the most important neighbourhoods in the country because it is the national governmental district. Beside the library is the Supreme People's Assembly and other governmental office blocks. Directly in front of the library...is the Kim Il Sung Square –the third largest public square in the world –where the country's national events take place." [3] For major media coverage,"the library serves as a grand backdrop to...speeches,military and nuclear parades,and carefully choreographed spectacles celebrating national holidays." [3]
It has a total floor space of 100,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft). and 600 rooms. [4] The building can house up to 30 million books, [5] of which it contains around 10,800 documents,books and "on the spot guidance" Kim Il Sung wrote. [6] Foreign publications are available only with special permission. [7] Writings of Kim Jong Il are also included. Almost all materials "are kept within closed stacks accessible only to librarians and library staff. A person can search the online or print catalogues to discover what is in the collection...If a borrowed item is late,an official library notification is sent to the offender's employer,who must encourage his or her employee to immediately return it." [3]
The library is the national centre of Juche studies,with one North Korean guide reporting to study the "Great Leader" Kim Il Sung and "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il for a total of 90 minutes per day. [8] Lectures on a variety of subjects also take place. [9] Also,the Juche Tower –the physical manifestation of North Korea's Communist brand –is directly across from the library on the other side of the Taedong River. Kim Il Sung's "educational philosophy of 'study while working' is regarded as a guiding principle for the library system,as well as for those people who use the library. The library figures as a central component of 'study while working' –an educational place that North Koreans can visit and use to further their socialist training,increase their personal self-reliance through lifelong learning,and develop a greater love and respect for the Kim family...The placement of the Grand People's Study House and the Juche Tower across from each other is meant to cement the relationship between the people and Juche communism. The Grand People's Study House is therefore more than a prominent feature of the capital. It is also an icon of the nation,Juche communism,and the Eternal President himself." [3]
In his two-part account of North Korean libraries,library and information scientist Marc Kosciejew, [10] uses the conceptual framework of library-as-place to better illuminate their significance:"first,they play numerous significant roles in the lives of North Koreans,as ideological places,cult of personality places,governmental power places,and social places. Second,they help promote,maintain and entrench Juche communist control through tightly controlled and monitored information,collections,events,exhibitions and extravaganzas. Third,the Grand People's Study House –as a representative of all libraries –makes a strong physical and symbolic statement:it is a special place where civics,religion,national identity,and cult of personality meet and are imagined. And,finally,although they are instruments of state control,the fact that libraries offer at least some access to information is notable for such a secretive country." [11]
Although not the national library of North Korea,it acts as a sort of "quasi-national library" alongside the official National Central Library. [12]
The library has numerous spacious computer rooms with modern computers providing access to the North Korean intranet. Computer education is compulsory in North Korea and computer science "has become the most popular area of study,besides the Juche,for military officers and university students. It is a sign of prestige if one has a computer-related office job. Librarianship,therefore,is a high-status profession since it requires computers and computer literacy to develop and maintain the electronic catalogues and digital collections. For those North Koreans who do not have computer-related jobs,accessing computers at the library... gives them the opportunity to join those of higher ranks." [3] The curator is Choi Heui-jung. [13]
Pyongyang is the capital and largest city of North Korea,where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about 109 km (68 mi) upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population census,it has a population of 3,255,288. Pyongyang is a directly administered city with a status equal to that of the North Korean provinces.
Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea. He led North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011,when he was succeeded by his son,Kim Jong Un. Afterwards,Kim Jong Il was declared Eternal General Secretary of the WPK.
The Juche Tower,completed in 1982,is a monument in Pyongyang,the capital of North Korea,and is named after the ideology of Juche introduced by the country's first leader,Kim Il Sung.
Juche,officially the Juche idea,is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il Sung,the country's founder and first leader. Juche was originally regarded as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until Kim Jong Il,Kim Il Sung's son and successor,declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong Il further developed Juche in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing the importance of his father's ideas.
The contemporary culture of North Korea is based on traditional Korean culture,but has developed since the division of Korea in 1945. The Juche ideology conceived by Kim Il Sung (1948–1994) asserts Korea's cultural distinctiveness and creativity,as well as the productive powers of the working masses.
The Taedong River (Korean: 대동강) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o. In between,it runs through the country's capital,Pyongyang. Along the river are landmarks such as the Juche Tower and Kim Il-sung Square.
Kim Il Sung University (Korean: 김일성종합대학) is a university in Taesong,Pyongyang,North Korea. Founded on 1 October 1946,it is the first institution of higher learning in North Korea since its foundation.
Chung-guyok is one of the 19 guyok which constitute the city of Pyongyang,North Korea. The district is located in the center of the city,between the Pothonggang Canal and Taedong River,and is bordered to the north by Moranbong-guyok,to the northwest by Potonggang-guyok,and to the south by Pyongchon-guyok.
The eternal leaders of North Korea are mentions of deceased leaders of North Korea. The phrase was mentioned in a line of the preamble to the Constitution,as amended on 30 June 2016,and in subsequent revisions.
Baik Bong (Korean: 백봉) is a North Korean author known for writing the official biography of Kim Il Sung.
Kim Il Sung Square is a large city square in the Central District of Pyongyang,North Korea,and is named after the country's founding leader,Kim Il Sung. The square was constructed in 1954 according to a master plan for reconstructing the capital after the destruction of the Korean War. It was opened in August 1954. The square is located on the foot of the Namsan Hill,west bank of the Taedong River,directly opposite the Juche Tower on the other side of the river. It is the 37th largest square in the world,having an area of about 75,000 square metres which can accommodate a rally of more than 100,000 people. The square has a great cultural significance,as it is a common gathering place for concerts,rallies,dances and military parades and is often featured in media concerning North Korea.
The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea,the WPK is the oldest active party in Korea. It also controls the Korean People's Army,North Korea's armed forces. The WPK is the largest party represented in the Supreme People's Assembly and coexists with two other legal parties making up the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea. However,these minor parties are completely subservient to the WPK and must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence. The WPK is banned in the Republic of Korea under the National Security Act and is sanctioned by the United Nations,the European Union,Australia,and the United States.
Kim Il Sung was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea,which he led as Supreme Leader from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. Afterwards,he was declared eternal president.
The North Korean cult of personality surrounding the Kim family,has existed in North Korea for decades and can be found in many examples of North Korean culture. Although not acknowledged by the North Korean government,many defectors and Western visitors state there are often stiff penalties for those who criticize or do not show "proper" respect for the former leaders of the country,Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il,officially referred to as "eternal leaders of Korea". The personality cult began soon after Kim Il Sung took power in 1948,and was greatly expanded after his death in 1994.
Reminiscences:With the Century is the autobiography of Kim Il Sung,founder and former president of North Korea. The memoirs,written in 1992 and published in eight volumes,retell Kim's life story through his childhood to the time of Korean resistance. Initially,a total of 30 volumes were planned but Kim Il Sung died in 1994 after just six volumes;the seventh and eight volumes were published posthumously. The work reveals early influences of religious and literary ideas on Kim's thinking. An important part of North Korean literature,With the Century is held as a valuable if unreliable insight into the nation's modern history under late colonial Korea. The book is considered one of a few North Korean primary sources widely available in the West and as notable research material for North Korean studies.
On the Art of the Cinema is a 1973 treatise by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. It is considered the most authoritative work on North Korean filmmaking.
The Day of the Sun is an annual public holiday in North Korea on 15 April,the birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung,founder and Eternal President of North Korea. It is the most important national holiday in the country,and is considered to be the North Korean equivalent of Christmas. Kim's birthday,which had been an official holiday since 1968,was renamed Day of the Sun in 1997,three years after his death. The name takes its significance from his name:Il-sung.
On the Juche Idea is a treatise attributed to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on the North Korean Juche ideology. It is considered the most authoritative work on Juche.
The Monument to Party Founding is a monument in Pyongyang,the capital of North Korea.
Dr. Marc Kosciejew is a Lecturer of Library, Information, and Archive Sciences within the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences (MaKS) at the University of Malta. ... In 2007 he conducted research in North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) on the secretive Communist state's library system, becoming one of the first English-speakers to present and publish on this specific topic. His articles on North Korean libraries, featured in a 2009 two-part series in the national journal of the Canadian Library Association (CLA), are some of the first articles to directly discuss and critically analyze the libraries, specifically the national Grand People's Study House, of the so-called 'hermit kingdom'.