Victorious Fatherland Liberation Museum
Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum
On the bank of the picturesque Pothong River in Pyongyang stands the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum that adds eternal lustre to the brilliant history and traditions of great victory achieved by Songun Korea.
The museum was inaugurated on July 27 this year in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the victory in the war, thanks to the energetic leadership of Kim Jong Un, who intends to add everlasting brilliance to the traditions and history of victories great Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il had gained and win victory all the time, and patriotic devotion of the Korean army and people.
It was built majestically occupying a vast area of 93 000 m², and perfectly in the architectural and aesthetic, plastic and artistic aspects. It consists of a main building of over 51 000 m², open-air weaponry exhibition halls of 6 840 m², the Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War, and the Pueblo, an armed spy ship of the United States.
The museum, which comprehensively shows the greatness of the ever-victorious, iron-willed Generalissimos and their thoroughgoing anti-imperialist revolutionary ideas, and the surrounding area are the grand open-air museum as a base for anti-imperialist, anti-US education.
In front of the main building of the museum stands the statue “Victory,” the main sculpture of the Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War, embossed with the letters, “Respect to the great years” in Kim Jong Un’s handwriting, and the figures “1950-1953.” The museum exhibits 344 items of revolutionary relics, over 120 000 articles and materials associated with the war.
The statue of Generalissimo Kim Il Sung acknowledging enthusiastic cheers of the service personnel and people of the DPRK celebrating the victory in the war 60 years ago is portrayed in colours in the central hall of the main building.
The museum is four-storeyed, one under and three above the ground. Halls and exhibition rooms comprehensively show the exploits the great Generalissimos performed in achieving the victory in the war and the Songun revolution as well as heroic fighting spirit and feats of the Korean army and people.
On the ground floor there is a hall dedicated to the anti-Japanese armed struggle led by Kim Il Sung. It displays materials related to main operations and battles which vividly show ever-victorious history and traditions pioneered in Mt. Paektu. There are also a hall dedicated to the building of a regular army and the one with materials proving the fact that the US occupied the southern half of Korea and provoked a war in aggression of the Republic in collusion with the south Korean puppet army.
The exhibition halls and rooms on the first floor display materials related with the immortal exploits of Kim Il Sung who was possessed of outstanding military ideas and strategies and wisely led the Korean army and people by setting forth correct strategic policies for every period and stage of the war. There are halls with large-scale cycloramas, relief maps, wax figures, photos and relics on display showing major battles during the war including the battle to liberate Seoul and the one in defence of Height 1211 and the heroic feats of the Korean People’s Army soldiers. There are also halls dedicated to the Chinese People’s Volunteers who fought shoulder to shoulder with Korean army and people upholding the slogan “resisting America and aiding Korea, protecting the home and defending the motherland” and to the peoples over the world who rendered selfless material aid and moral support to the Korean people.
On this floor are laid out halls that exhibit materials showing brutal atrocities committed by the US imperialists during the war and their defeat by the Korean people.
Lining the corridor on the same floor, which links the main building with the hall showing the Taejon Battle, are photos and relics of the war heroes.
The second floor has the halls dedicated to wartime Party political activities conducted under the wise guidance of Kim Il Sung to inspire the Korean army and people to the struggle for achieving victory in the war, and materials related with struggles of the services, arms and specialized units of the KPA and the people in the rear.
There is a hall linked with the main building, which has a large panorama vividly showing the victorious battle to liberate Taejon organized and commanded by Kim Il Sung.
The museum has also a hall comprehensively showing the immortal exploits Generalissimo Kim Jong Il performed in leading the Songun revolution, winning victory after victory in the fierce anti-imperialist, anti-US showdown to defend the country, nation and socialism.
Under the ground there are a room dedicated to the history of the museum, wartime book-reading and on-line reading rooms, and rooms for screening films about the war and holding meetings with heroes.
On the outside walls of the main building are large mosaic murals “Great Victory in the Anti-Japanese Armed Struggle” and “Great Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War,” plaques and group sculptures in portrayal of the feats the Korean army and people performed in two revolutionary wars and in defence of socialism.
The museum has open-air exhibition halls of the weapons of merits which made contribution to the victory in the war and those the KPA captured from the US troops. The Pueblo, US armed spy ship captured on January 23, Juche 57 (1968) while conducting espionage acts in the territorial waters of the DPRK, is displayed there.
The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, a national treasure and monumental edifice for handing down the ever-victorious history and traditions, is a symbol of the eternal victory of the Korean army and people. It adds everlasting brilliance to the immortal exploits of the great Generalissimos and encourages the Korean army and people in their dynamic efforts to achieve the final victory in the building of a thriving socialist country.
Korea Pictorial 11/2013
Article: Kim Thae Hyon
Photo: An Chol Ryong