The International Friendship Exhibition is a large museum complex located at Myohyang-san mountain, North Pyongan province, in North Korea. It is a collection of halls that house gifts presented to former leader Kim Il-sung and the current leader Kim Jong-il from various foreign dignitaries. The protocol of gift-giving is well established in Korean culture.

Built in a traditional style, the halls opened on August 26, 1978 and consist of over 150 rooms covering a total area of between 28,000 and 70,000 square meters. The building offers the impression that it has windows, though it has none. According to one legend, Kim Jong-il built the International Friendship Exhibition in three days, however actual construction took a year.

Currently, estimates of how many gifts the exhibition holds vary between 60,000 and 220,000 gifts. On entering the exhibition, shoes must be discarded and visitors are asked to bow before portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

The setting of the museum in the Myohyang-san mountains, near the Pohyon temple, was the subject of a poem by Kim Il-sung, which he later chanted from the balcony of the International Friendship Exhibition on October 15, 1979:

    "On the balcony I see the most
    glorious scene in the world…
    The Exhibition stands here,
    its green eaves upturned, to exalt
    The dignity of the nation,
    and Piro Peak looks higher still."

The museum is said to act as propaganda, giving the impression of worldwide support for the North Korean government. Visitors to the museum are informed that the number of gifts constitute "proof of the endless love and respect toward the Great Leader [Kim Il-sung]".

However, North Korean visitors to the site are unaware of the ceremonial exchange of gifts in diplomatic protocol, and are described by Helen-Louise Hunter to be "impressed by the self-serving explanations offered to them". Another author, Byoung-lo Philo Kim, states that the entire exhibition is "aimed at convincing [North] Korean visitors that their leaders are universally admired".

Other Information

• Location : Myohyang-san mountain, North Pyongan province, North Korea
• Use : Museum

Tags: Museums in North Korea

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 3:15 pm and is filed under Museums. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.