Kaesong - Pyongyang - Mount Hyohyang
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Aina
10 September 2014 | Noord-Korea, Kaesong
Vanmorgen hebben we eerst het Koryo museum (1) bezocht, ook dit was een mooi authentiek gebouw. Bij het museum was een postzegel/souvenirwinkel waar ik een aantal ansichtkaarten met propagandaprenten heb gekocht en postzegels met daarop de 3 Grote Leiders. Hier heb ik ook een traditionele (trouw)jurk gepast. Ondanks dat ik ietsjes groter ben dan de gemiddelde Koreaanse vrouw, paste de jurk. Toen de verkoopster vroeg of ik de jurk wilde kopen, moest ik haar teleurstellen, ik vond de jurk een onding en hij kostte ook nog eens dik 200 euro. Verder hebben we in Kaesong de Sonjuk brug (2) bekeken. Hierna zijn we naar de DMZ (3) gegaan, het stukje niemandsland tussen Noord en Zuid Korea. We kregen een rondleiding van een strenge militair en de gids was ook heel strikt in de momenten waarop we wel en geen foto's mochten maken. Uiteindelijk hebben we toch bijna overal foto's van mogen maken, zelfs van de streng bewaakte scheidslijn tussen Noord en Zuid plus militairen. Sinds ons verblijf in Noord Korea wordt elke dag weer geroepen dat we geen militairen mogen fotograferen en nu mocht het dus wel. Ik heb hier meteen gebruik van gemaakt, door een selfie met een militair te maken. Ook ben ik een paar seconden in Zuid Korea geweest. Na dit interessante bezoek aan de DMZ zijn we naar Pyongyang gereden waar we foto's konden maken van het Reunification Monument (4). De constructie van de boog is trouwens zo slecht dat zwaar verkeer er niet onderdoor mag rijden. Verder hebben we een bezoek gebracht aan het Grand People's Study House, de UB (5). Na Pyongyang was het nog zeker 3 uur rijden naar het Chong Chon Hotel in Mount Hyohyang (6), waar we in het donker aan kwamen.
1) Since 1987, the site has been home to the very picturesque Koryo Museum, where is stashed a good hoard of pottery, ironwork, prints and relics from the Koryo dynasty, with readable presentations of life in those times and some thousand-year old pagodas rescued from Hyonhwa, Hungguk and Pulil temples, a recreation of the King Kong Min tomb and a wall chart showing the relative pecuniary value of cattle, slaves and woman in those times. This is all overlooked by 500-year old gingko trees and a 900-year old zelkova.
2) Sŏnjuk Bridge is a Koryo-dynasty stone bridge located in Kaesong, North Korea. Built in 1290, it is famous as the place where famed Confucian scholar and statesman Jeong Mong-ju was assassinated, allegedly on the orders of the Yi Bang-won, son of the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, Yi Seong-gye. The bridge was closed to all traffic in 1780 and has since been a national monument. It is 8.35m long and 3.36m wide. It was originally named the Sonji Bridge, but was renamed Sonjuk Bridge after the assasination of Mong-ju because bamboo grew where he was killed (juk being the Korean word for bamboo).
3) The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ is a border barrier, which runs along the 38th parallel north. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and the east end lying north of it. It was created as part of the Korean Armistice Agreement between North Korea, the People's Republic of China, and the United Nations Command forces in 1953. It is 250km long, approximately 4km wide and, despite its name, is the most heavily militarized border in the world. The Northern Limit Line, or NLL, is the maritime boundary between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea and the coastline and islands on both sides of the NLL are also heavily militarized. The 38th parallel north—which divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half—was the original boundary between the United States and Soviet brief administration areas of Korea at the end of World War II. Upon the creation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, informally North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK, informally South Korea) in 1948, it became an international border and one of the most tense fronts in the Cold War. Both the North and the South remained heavily dependent on their sponsor states from 1948 to the outbreak of the Korean War. The conflict, which claimed over three million lives and divided the Korean Peninsula along ideological lines, commenced on June 25, 1950, with a full-front DPRK invasion across the 38th parallel, and ended in 1953 after international intervention pushed the front of the war back to near the 38th parallel. Tae Sung Dong and Kijong-dong were the only villages allowed by the armistice committee to remain within the boundaries of the DMZ. Residents of Tae Sung Dong are governed and protected by the United Nations Command and are generally required to spend at least 240 nights per year in the village to maintain their residency. In 2008, the village had a population of 218 people. The villagers of Tae Sung Dong are direct descendants of people who owned the land before the 1950–53 Korean War. Inside the DMZ, near the western coast of the peninsula, Panmunjom is the home of the Joint Security Area (JSA). Originally, it was the only connection between North and South Korea but that changed in 2007 when a Korail train crossed the DMZ to the North on the new Donghae Bukbu Line built on the east coast of Korea. There are several buildings on both the north and the south side of the MDL (Military Demarcation Line), and a few are built right on top of it. The JSA is the location where all negotiations since 1953 have been held, including statements of Korean solidarity, which have generally amounted to little except a slight decline of tensions. The MDL goes through the conference rooms and down the middle of the conference tables where the North Koreans and the United Nations Command (primarily South Koreans and Americans) meet face to face. In 1976, in now declassified meeting minutes, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Clements told Henry Kissinger that there had been 200 raids or incursions into North Korea from the south, though not by the U.S. military. Details of only a few of these incursions have become public, including raids by South Korean forces in 1967 that had sabotaged about 50 North Korean facilities. Since November 15, 1974, the South has discovered that four tunnels crossing the DMZ have been dug by North Korea. This is indicated by the orientation of the blasting lines within each tunnel. Upon their discovery, North Korea claimed that the tunnels were for coal mining; however, no coal has been found in the tunnels, which are dug through granite, but some of the tunnel walls have been painted black to give the appearance of anthracite. The tunnels are believed to have been planned as a military invasion route by North Korea. Each shaft is large enough to permit the passage of an entire infantry division in one hour, though the tunnels are not wide enough for tanks or vehicles. All the tunnels run in a north-south direction and do not have branches. Following each discovery, engineering within the tunnels has become progressively more advanced. For example, the third tunnel sloped slightly upwards as it progressed southward, to prevent water stagnation.
4) The Arch of Reunification (official name: Monument to the Three-Point Charter for National Reunification) is a sculptural arch located south of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It was opened in August 2001 to commemorate Korean reunification proposals put forward by Kim Il-sung. The concrete arch straddles the multi-laned Reunification Highway leading from Pyongyang to the DMZ. It consists of two Korean women in traditional dress, symbolizing the North and the South, leaning forward to jointly uphold a sphere bearing a map of a reunified Korea. The sphere is the emblem of the Three Charters; the Three Principles of National Reunification; the Plan of Establishing the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo and the Ten Point Program of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation. The original plan was to have a 55m pillar with three branches to represent Koreans in the north, the south, and overseas.
5) The Grand People's Study House is the central library located in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The building is situated on Kim Il-sung Square by the banks of the Taedong River. The Study House was constructed in a traditional Korean style in April 1982 over a period of 21 months to celebrate leader Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday. The library was opened as the "centre for the project of intellectualising the whole of society and a sanctuary of learning for the entire people." The library is located in the center of the capital - the Central District of Pyongyang - which is one of the most important neighbourhoods in the country because it is the national governmental district. Beside the library is the Supreme People's Assembly and other governmental office blocks. Directly in front of the library is the Kim Il Sung Square - the third largest public square in the world - where the country's national events take place. For major media coverage, the library serves as a grand backdrop to speeches, military and nuclear parades, and carefully choreographed spectacles celebrating national holidays.
6) Myohyang-san (mysterious fragrant mountain) is a mountain in North Korea. It is named after the mystic shapes and fragrances found in the area. It is a sacred site as, according to legend, it was the home of King Tangun, forefather of the Korean people. In 2009 UNESCO designated Mount Myohyang a world biosphere reserve, citing its cultural significance as well as the spectacular cliffs providing habitat for 30 endemic plant species, 16 plant species that are threatened globally and 12 endangered animal species.
1) Since 1987, the site has been home to the very picturesque Koryo Museum, where is stashed a good hoard of pottery, ironwork, prints and relics from the Koryo dynasty, with readable presentations of life in those times and some thousand-year old pagodas rescued from Hyonhwa, Hungguk and Pulil temples, a recreation of the King Kong Min tomb and a wall chart showing the relative pecuniary value of cattle, slaves and woman in those times. This is all overlooked by 500-year old gingko trees and a 900-year old zelkova.
2) Sŏnjuk Bridge is a Koryo-dynasty stone bridge located in Kaesong, North Korea. Built in 1290, it is famous as the place where famed Confucian scholar and statesman Jeong Mong-ju was assassinated, allegedly on the orders of the Yi Bang-won, son of the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, Yi Seong-gye. The bridge was closed to all traffic in 1780 and has since been a national monument. It is 8.35m long and 3.36m wide. It was originally named the Sonji Bridge, but was renamed Sonjuk Bridge after the assasination of Mong-ju because bamboo grew where he was killed (juk being the Korean word for bamboo).
3) The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ is a border barrier, which runs along the 38th parallel north. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and the east end lying north of it. It was created as part of the Korean Armistice Agreement between North Korea, the People's Republic of China, and the United Nations Command forces in 1953. It is 250km long, approximately 4km wide and, despite its name, is the most heavily militarized border in the world. The Northern Limit Line, or NLL, is the maritime boundary between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea and the coastline and islands on both sides of the NLL are also heavily militarized. The 38th parallel north—which divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half—was the original boundary between the United States and Soviet brief administration areas of Korea at the end of World War II. Upon the creation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, informally North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK, informally South Korea) in 1948, it became an international border and one of the most tense fronts in the Cold War. Both the North and the South remained heavily dependent on their sponsor states from 1948 to the outbreak of the Korean War. The conflict, which claimed over three million lives and divided the Korean Peninsula along ideological lines, commenced on June 25, 1950, with a full-front DPRK invasion across the 38th parallel, and ended in 1953 after international intervention pushed the front of the war back to near the 38th parallel. Tae Sung Dong and Kijong-dong were the only villages allowed by the armistice committee to remain within the boundaries of the DMZ. Residents of Tae Sung Dong are governed and protected by the United Nations Command and are generally required to spend at least 240 nights per year in the village to maintain their residency. In 2008, the village had a population of 218 people. The villagers of Tae Sung Dong are direct descendants of people who owned the land before the 1950–53 Korean War. Inside the DMZ, near the western coast of the peninsula, Panmunjom is the home of the Joint Security Area (JSA). Originally, it was the only connection between North and South Korea but that changed in 2007 when a Korail train crossed the DMZ to the North on the new Donghae Bukbu Line built on the east coast of Korea. There are several buildings on both the north and the south side of the MDL (Military Demarcation Line), and a few are built right on top of it. The JSA is the location where all negotiations since 1953 have been held, including statements of Korean solidarity, which have generally amounted to little except a slight decline of tensions. The MDL goes through the conference rooms and down the middle of the conference tables where the North Koreans and the United Nations Command (primarily South Koreans and Americans) meet face to face. In 1976, in now declassified meeting minutes, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Clements told Henry Kissinger that there had been 200 raids or incursions into North Korea from the south, though not by the U.S. military. Details of only a few of these incursions have become public, including raids by South Korean forces in 1967 that had sabotaged about 50 North Korean facilities. Since November 15, 1974, the South has discovered that four tunnels crossing the DMZ have been dug by North Korea. This is indicated by the orientation of the blasting lines within each tunnel. Upon their discovery, North Korea claimed that the tunnels were for coal mining; however, no coal has been found in the tunnels, which are dug through granite, but some of the tunnel walls have been painted black to give the appearance of anthracite. The tunnels are believed to have been planned as a military invasion route by North Korea. Each shaft is large enough to permit the passage of an entire infantry division in one hour, though the tunnels are not wide enough for tanks or vehicles. All the tunnels run in a north-south direction and do not have branches. Following each discovery, engineering within the tunnels has become progressively more advanced. For example, the third tunnel sloped slightly upwards as it progressed southward, to prevent water stagnation.
4) The Arch of Reunification (official name: Monument to the Three-Point Charter for National Reunification) is a sculptural arch located south of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It was opened in August 2001 to commemorate Korean reunification proposals put forward by Kim Il-sung. The concrete arch straddles the multi-laned Reunification Highway leading from Pyongyang to the DMZ. It consists of two Korean women in traditional dress, symbolizing the North and the South, leaning forward to jointly uphold a sphere bearing a map of a reunified Korea. The sphere is the emblem of the Three Charters; the Three Principles of National Reunification; the Plan of Establishing the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo and the Ten Point Program of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation. The original plan was to have a 55m pillar with three branches to represent Koreans in the north, the south, and overseas.
5) The Grand People's Study House is the central library located in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The building is situated on Kim Il-sung Square by the banks of the Taedong River. The Study House was constructed in a traditional Korean style in April 1982 over a period of 21 months to celebrate leader Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday. The library was opened as the "centre for the project of intellectualising the whole of society and a sanctuary of learning for the entire people." The library is located in the center of the capital - the Central District of Pyongyang - which is one of the most important neighbourhoods in the country because it is the national governmental district. Beside the library is the Supreme People's Assembly and other governmental office blocks. Directly in front of the library is the Kim Il Sung Square - the third largest public square in the world - where the country's national events take place. For major media coverage, the library serves as a grand backdrop to speeches, military and nuclear parades, and carefully choreographed spectacles celebrating national holidays.
6) Myohyang-san (mysterious fragrant mountain) is a mountain in North Korea. It is named after the mystic shapes and fragrances found in the area. It is a sacred site as, according to legend, it was the home of King Tangun, forefather of the Korean people. In 2009 UNESCO designated Mount Myohyang a world biosphere reserve, citing its cultural significance as well as the spectacular cliffs providing habitat for 30 endemic plant species, 16 plant species that are threatened globally and 12 endangered animal species.
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
