Pyongyang Folk Park

Can’t get enough of the surreal Ryugyong Hotel (AKA the “Hotel of Doom“)?

At the newly opened Pyongyang Folk Park you can get up close and personal with a scale model Ryugyong Hotel as well as Pyongyang’s other famous landmarks and monuments.

The Korean Central News Agency of DPRK describes the park:

The Pyongyang Folk Park vividly showing the long history and time-honored culture of the Korean people was built in the area of Mt. Taesong.

The park consists of the district for comprehensive history education, district for the display of historic relics, modern district, folk village district, folk playing district, park district of Mt. Paektu and Mt. Kumgang and the management and operation district. It is an open-air history museum where visitors can see and experience at first hand the good qualities of the Korean nation and the genuine socialist national culture developing day by day.

The construction of the park greatly helps the Korean people, including and school youth and children, inherit and glorify the excellent tradition and brilliant culture of the nation.

A visit to the Pyongyang Folk Park costs a steep 14 Euros – at that price it might not be of interest to all tourists (remember there are no ATMs to replenish your cash supply), but I thoroughly enjoyed the site.  In addition to the  surreal collection of scale models of Pyongyang’s monuments, the park boasts a Korean geisha house where visitors can enjoy a traditional music performance and are served soju by young ladies in period costumes.  We also stumbled upon a film set and posed for pictures with actors in an anti Japanese revolutionary movie in the traditional village section of the park.  The site is also a popular place for wedding photos, which of course we were invited to pose in.

Model of Pyongyang’s Arche of Triumph and Mount Kumgang.

Model of the Party Foundation Monument.

Soldier workers prep Mansudae Grand Monument.

Model of Juche Tower.

Models of Juche Tower and Arch of Triumph.

Models of Juche Tower and Arch of Triumph.

Model of Juche Tower.

Music at the Korean geisha house.

Music at the Korean geisha house.

Soju at the Korean geisha house.

Soju at the Korean geisha house.

Korean geisha house.

With North Korean actors on an Anti Japanese revolutionary film set at the Pyongyang Folk Park.

North Korean actors on an Anti Japanese revolutionary film set at the Pyongyang Folk Park.

North Korean actors on an Anti Japanese revolutionary film set at the Pyongyang Folk Park.

North Korean wedding party.

North Korean wedding party.

My tour group poses with a North Korean wedding party.

Bride and groom at the Pyongyang Folk Park.