Korean Central History Museum

History museum in Pyongyang, North Korea

39°01′15″N 125°45′17″E / 39.020701°N 125.754646°E / 39.020701; 125.754646TypeHistory museumCollection size100,000 relicsFounderKim Il Sung

The Korean Central History Museum (Korean: 조선중앙력사박물관) is a museum located in Pyongyang, North Korea.^[1] The museum is located at the north end of Kim Il-sung Square. It contains displays on Korean history from primitive society to the modern age.^[1]

History

The museum was established on 1 December 1945^[2] by Kim Il Sung. It was located on Moran Hill. During the Korean War, most of the museum's collections were hidden, and the original museum building was destroyed by the US troops.^[3]

The museum was rebuilt on Kim Il-sung Square in 1960 (or 1977).^[3]^[4] In 1998, the museum was commemorated on a series of postage stamps.^[3]

In a 2014 speech, Kim Jong Un stated that he wanted to set the Korean Central History Museum as a base standard for history museums around the world.^[5] In 2015, the museum claimed 10 million visitors since its opening in 1945.^[6]

Description

The museum contains 10,500 square meters of exhibition space divided into 19 rooms. The collection contains around 100,000 relics and artefacts.^[3]

The museum is opened to foreigners and tourists, and taking photos inside the museum is prohibited.^[4]

Collection

1-million year old bones (according to the sign) excavated from Komun Moru in 1966^[3]
Replica of the world's first rocket battery^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Museums". korea-dpr.com. Korean Friendship Association. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2019.)
^ "Korean Central History Museum, Centre of History Education". Voice of Korea. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2015. O Hae Ryong, Curator of the Korean Central History Memeum, says: 'The great leader Kim Il Sung, though busy with the building of a new country, established the present Korean Central History Museum on December 1, 1945.[']
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Justin Corfield, Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang, Anthem Press, 1 December 2014. p.100-101.
^ ^a ^b Ronny Mintjens, A Journey through North Korea, Trafford Publishing, 2013. p.58.
^ National Heritage Conservation is a Patriotic Undertaking for Adding Brilliance to the History and Traditions of our Nation, Ncnk.org, 24 October 2014
^ Korean Central History Museum Marks 70th Anniversary Archived 2019-11-24 at the Wayback Machine, Kcna.co.jp, 29 november 2015