The Liberation Monument is a monument in Pyongyang, North Korea. It was built in 1947 to honour Red Army soldiers who took part in capturing Korea from Imperial Japan during the final stage of the Second World War. Soviet paratroopers took control of Pyongyang on August 24, 1945. The monument is composed of a stele surmounted by a five-pointed red star, with the entire structure attaining a height of 30 meters. The square base of the monument bears an inscription on each of its sides. The text, in Russian and Korean, describes the purpose of the monument. The monument is often visited by official delegations as well as by tourists and city residents. It has become traditional for newlywed couples to visit the monument as well.
Inscriptions
Russian president Vladimir Putin visiting the monument in 2000
Primary Russian text (Front side):
Великий советский народ разгромил японских империалистов и освободил корейский народ. Кровью, пролитой советскими воинами при освобождении Кореи, еще больше укрепились узы дружбы между корейским и советским народами. В знак всенародной благодарности воздвигнут этот памятник. 15 августа 1945 года.
The great Soviet people defeated the Japanese imperialists and liberated the Korean people. The blood shed by Soviet soldiers during the liberation of Korea has served to strengthen the bonds of friendship binding the Korean and the Soviet peoples. This monument was erected to signify the gratitude of the Korean people. August 15, 1945.
Secondary Russian inscription (Back side)
Вечная слава великой Советской Армии, освободившей корейский народ от ига японских империалистов и открывшей ему путь к свободе и независимости! 15 августа 1945 г.
Eternal glory to the great Soviet Army that liberated Korean people from Japanese imperialists and showed them the way to freedomy and independence! August 15, 1945.
Elbe Day, April 25, 1945, is the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River, near Torgau in Germany, marking an important step toward the end of World War II in Europe. This contact between the Soviets, advancing from the east, and the Americans, advancing from the west, meant that the two powers had effectively cut Germany in two.
The People's Republic of Korea was a short-lived provisional government that was organized at the time of the surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of World War II. It was proclaimed on 6 September 1945, as Korea was being divided into two occupation zones, with the Soviet Union occupying the north and the United States occupying the south. Based on a network of people's committees, it presented a program of radical social change.
The Arch of Triumph is a triumphal arch in Pyongyang, North Korea. It was built to commemorate the Korean resistance to Japan from 1925 to 1945. It is the second tallest triumphal arch in the world, after Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico, standing 60 m (197 ft) high and 50 m (164 ft) wide.
The Soviet War Memorial is one of several war memorials in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, erected by the Soviet Union to commemorate its war dead, particularly the 80,000 soldiers of the Soviet Armed Forces who died during the Battle of Berlin in April and May 1945.
The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, formerly the Kumsusan Memorial Palace (금수산기념궁전), is a building near the northeast corner of the city of Pyongyang that serves as the mausoleum for Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, and for his son Kim Jong Il, both posthumously designated as the Eternal leaders of North Korea.
Potonggang-guyok is one of the 18 districts, or guyok, of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is most famous as the location of the Ryugyong Hotel. It is named after the Pothong River, which serves as the district's border on all sides. It is bordered to the north by Hyongjesan-guyok, to the east by Sosong and Moranbong-guyoks, to the south by Pyongchon and Chung-guyoks, and to the west by Mangyongdae-guyok. The district was established by the Pyongyang City People's Committee in October 1960.
Propaganda is widely used and produced by the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Most propaganda is based on the Juche ideology and on the promotion of the Workers' Party of Korea.
The Pyongyang Korean School for Foreigners (Korean: 평양외국인학교) is a primary school in Pyongyang, North Korea, exclusively for foreign children. It has also a facility for foreign children studying on secondary school level. The school is located at the Munsudong diplomatic compound in Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK. The children who attend are mainly dependents of the diplomatic community and the United Nations agencies in the country, although also children of foreign businessmen, mainly Chinese, have been joining the school. All teachers are Korean. The language of instruction is English. Local textbooks in English are used. English and mathematics are the two major subjects, with Korean language, music, art and physical education as minor subjects; from class 3 onwards also science is provided as minor subject. In the early 1990s the official name in English of the school was "Pyongyang Foreigners School", which is the straight translation of the name of the school in Korean (평양외국인학교), which did not change.
Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery (Korean: 대성산혁명렬사릉) is a cemetery and memorial to the North Korean soldiers fighting for freedom and independence against Japanese rule. The 30-hectares site is located near the top of Mount Taesong (Taesongsan) in the Taesong-guyŏk, just outside Pyongyang, capital of North Korea.
Pen Varlen was a Soviet Russian-Korean painter and graphic artist.
The Pothong River is a river in North Korea. It flows through the capital Pyongyang and is a tributary of the Taedong River.
The Battle of Pochonbo was an event which occurred in northern Korea, Empire of Japan on 4 June 1937, when Korean and Chinese guerrillas commanded by Kim Il Sung attacked and defeated a Japanese detachment during the anti-Japanese armed struggle in Korea. The battle holds an important place in North Korea.
The Soviet Civil Administration (SCA) was the government of the northern half of Korea from 24 August 1945 to 9 September 1948 though governed concurrently after the setup of the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea in 1946. Even though formally referred as civilian administration, it was originally a military organization that included civilians of different professions.
Cho Ki-chon was a Russian-born North Korean poet. He is regarded as a national poet and "founding father of North Korean poetry" whose distinct Soviet-influenced style of lyrical epic poetry in the socialist realist genre became an important feature of North Korean literature. He was nicknamed "Korea's Mayakovsky" after the writer whose works had had an influence on him and which implied his breaking from the literature of the old society and his commitment to communist values. Since a remark made by Kim Jong Il on his 2001 visit to Russia, North Korean media has referred to Cho as the "Pushkin of Korea".
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The Monument to Party Founding is a monument in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
The Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War is an outdoor monument in Pyongyang, North Korea. The monument is outside of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. The monument itself is a series of statues depicting soldiers of the various branches of the Korean People's Army. The central statue of the collection is known as the Victory Statue and it depicts a soldier of the KPA raising the flag of North Korea. The monument was completed in 1993 to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. This includes side monuments titled "Defenders of Altitude 1211", "Liberated south Korea", "Heroes of Wolmido", "Moving the Artillery Gun Up", Peoples' Reinforcement Frontline", "Defenders of Airspace of the Fatherland", War of Liberation of Taejon", Defenders of the Fatherland's Maritime", "Battle of Nakdong River", and "Combat of the Peoples' Guerllia Force". Moored on a nearby bank of the Taedong River is the captured United States Navy spy ship the USS Pueblo.
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, entitled "Every Effort for the Building of a New Democratic Korea". At that time, the place was called the Pyongyang Public Ground (평양공설운동장). There is a mural depicting the scene at the site. 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". The site is located in the Moranbong area, west of the hill of the same name.
The Medal for the Liberation of Korea, a.k.a. Korea 15.8.1945, was a medal awarded by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Nikolai Georgiyevich Lebedev was a Red Army major general. Lebedev served in both the Eastern Front and Soviet-Japanese War. He later served as head of the Soviet Civil Administration in Korea from 1947 to 1948. He is considered as one of the founders of North Korea and the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
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