Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Why Is Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive

Entering the capital city of Pyongyang, visitors pass through the Arch of Reunification. The two women holding a conjoined North and South Korea symbolize supreme leader Kim Il Sung's vision for the two countries.

1Why Is Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Immediately, visitors are struck by the Workers' Party Monument. The outer belt reads, "Long live the Workers' Party of Korea, the organizer and guide of all victories of the Korean people!"
2Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Downtown Pyongyang's skyline is punctuated by the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel, currently the tallest abandoned building in the world. It hasn't had any work done on it since 1992.
3Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

On the other side of the city, the 558-feet-tall Juche Tower looms above the Taedong River.
4Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Some of North Korea's most impressive (and intimidating) architecture lives in the city center, such as the sprawling Manyongdae Children's Palace. It features two "arms" meant to imitate a mother's embrace.
5Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

It's here in central Pyongyang that the Korean People's Army meets in a hangar-like assembly hall for addresses given by the country's leader, Kim Jong Un.
6Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Much of the country's architecture is meant to honor its leaders: founder Kim Il Sung, who led between 1972 and 1994, and Kim Jong Il, who followed until his own death in 2011.
7Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Portraits of the two men hang all around the capital city. Here they are featured prominently above a downtown train station.
8Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

And here they are immortalized at the People's Grand Assembly Hall.
9Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

However, North Korea doesn't have enough of its own electricity, so at night the entire country goes pitch black. What little remains goes toward illuminating a picture of the country's founder.
10Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

These buildings wouldn't be possible without the thousands of laborers who are forced to work long hours to build them.
11Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

The conditions are often poor, if not downright treacherous.
12Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Nearby is the Fatherland Liberation War Museum, which celebrates Korea's victory over the imperialist American forces during the Korean War.
13Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

One building in central Pyongyang reads, "The great comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il will be with us forever."
14Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Disregarding the blatant propaganda, there are many aspects of North Korean architecture that are genuinely impressive. The metro station is among the most ornate in the world.
15Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Perhaps unsurprisingly, North Korea is also home to the largest sports arena in the world, May Day Stadium.
16Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Filled to capacity, it's capable of holding 150,000 people. Most often, it's used for the annual Mass Games, which pay tribute to the country's history.
17Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Amid the bleakness of everyday life, people also manage to find time to have fun at the Munsu Water Park.
18Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Science also plays a big role in North Korea. The Sci-Tech Complex, for example, was built in the shape of an atom and opened in early 2015.
19Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Kim Jong Un has said he hopes the center will help "advance the establishment of a rich and powerful fatherland through the locomotive of science and technology."
20Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

The structure joins the Mirae Scientists Street, which North Korea wants to use as its hub for becoming a global force in innovation.
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Some apartment buildings sport solar panels.
22Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Many of the buildings stand out for their bold color palettes and industrial feel.
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But others, like the Wonsan Baby Home and Orphanage, opt instead for bright pastels.
24Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Completed in June of 2015, the home is spread across several floors. Its blues and yellows stand in stark relief to the concrete that dominates so much of North Korea's landscape.
25Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

Whatever bright spots there may be, from far away the skyline clearly reveals North Korea's obsession with power and might.

26Why Is               Korea So Obsessed With Everything Massive?!

[FunFunky] 

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