DPRK Forum

The DailyNK has some interesting pictures of historical Pyongyang from 1945-1960:

Since it is against copyrights of the DailyNK to show the picture here (you can see the link for the pictures), I did some research of the pictures to get more information on them.

Picture 1: Mark at the Inception of the People’s Army – The “Taegeuk” [Korean Yin-Yang] mark is noticeable on the symbolic mark of the People’s Army. The Taegeuk shape was excluded from the North Korean flag that was used from July 1948 from the symbolic mark of the People’s Army but in the first mark, the Taegeuk shape was inserted in the center of the Great star.

Picture 2: Kim Il Sung (front row, right side) who is moving the funeral coffin of the People’s Army Chief of Staff, Kang Geon and Park Hun Young (back row, right side)

Apparently, this was during the purges to get Kim Il Sung firmly in power. I am kind of interested in learning about these purges and the dissolution of the Soviet backed party. I am sure there are plenty of articles on it, but still have a lot of reading to do on it. Others are free to post URLs to some good stuff.

Picture 3: The Unveiling Ceremony of the Kim Il Sung statue – Kim Il Sung status Unveiling Ceremony in November 1949. The status was created to commemorate the third anniversary of the “North Korea Provisionary People’s Committee Election” and shows that idolatry of Kim Il Sung started before the Korean War

I do not know if that is the same Kim Il Sung statue as the ones people bow to in Pyongyang (I doubt it because Pyongyang was basically destroyed during the Korean War), or another one. I looked around for some news story but I could not find it. If any readers know of the details, please let me know. I am interested in learning more about it.

Picture 4: Opening Ceremony of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School for bereaved children of the revolutionists where the Minister of the National Security Choi Yong Gun races with a student of the school.

I still do not understand how that place stood after the Korean War. Was it rebuilt or was not everything destroyed? I cannot find much info on that.

Picture 5: Commemoration Ceremony held at the Tumen River that confirms the Soviet Union – North Korea national border (1948)

No real information on that either. I do not think it was a huge event, but it would still be kind of interesting to know more about this detail.

Picture 6: Foundation Ceremony of the Chosun People’s Army on February 8, 1948.

That was an interesting read, but ti seems to have a propagandist slant to it. Perhaps there are other accounts of this history somewhere?

Picture 7: The court scene of the Horim Base that was captured while dispatched to South Korea to strategizing (1949)

I think I am pretty close on finding info on this one, but no cigar just yet.

Picture 8: An bacteriological war shell exhibit arguing that the U.S. Troops went down

Hmm, that’s kind of odd. But this is North Korea, so odd is normal.

Picture 9: Dr. Cho Man Sik (second from the right side) waiting for the entry of the Soviet Union troops in August 1945

Who is that guy? I found some articles on this person, but all are pay archives. I am going to have plunk down a few dollars and look this stuff up.

If anybody has information about this or other history, discuss it in the comments below. Historical Korean pictures and history especially the North is very, very difficult to find. so if you good folks are willing to help a guy out, I would be most pleased.