Liberation (Monument, Pyongyang)

The Liberation Monument was erected on August 15, 1946 in gratitude of the Korean people in memory of the Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of Korea from the Japanese colonialists. The obelisk included a thank-you note that mentioned Soviet leader I.V. Stalin ; the monument also had an image of the Soviet medal " For the victory over Japan ."

By the end of the 1960s, when all the objects associated with the name of IV Stalin were renamed in the DPRK, the thank-you inscription on the obelisk was changed ^[1] ; a part with the image of the medal “ For Victory over Japan ” was also dismantled (the medal depicting Stalin was replaced with a five-pointed star).

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the liberation of Korea in 1985, the obelisk was reconstructed.

On July 20, 2000, the monument was visited by President of Russia V.V. Putin . On November 25, 2009, the Chairman of the Council of the Federation of Russia S. M. Mironov , who was on an official visit to the DPRK, took part in the ceremony of laying a wreath at the monument.

In 2015, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, the monument on Mount Moranbon was restored.

On June 12, 2016, employees of the embassy and other Russian institutions laid a wreath and flowers at the monument. At the monument in the park there was a guard of honor, and the orchestra solemnly played a military march. The wreath-laying ceremony was timed to coincide with the Day of Russia, it was attended by the Russian ambassador in Pyongyang, A. I. Matsegor , as well as representatives of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces and the DPRK Foreign Ministry.

Its height is 30 m, the area is more than 128 thousand m2.

The monument to Soviet soldiers in Pyongyang was most likely built on the site of the former Japanese Shinto Heijou-jinja temple ( ja: 平 壌 神社 ). The staircase to the Liberation Monument used to lead to the temple and on the first platform stood a traditional gate in the form of a "perch" for the Sun. The staircase, apparently, just in time for this temple in Pyongyang is captured in the photo from A. Grazhdantsev’s pamphlet "Korea Looks Ahead" ^[2] . The location of the Heijo-jinja on the slope of Moranbon on a 1946 map corresponds to the current location of the Liberation Monument

North Koreans remember the exploits of Soviet soldiers in the war for the liberation of Korea. The inhabitants of Pyongyang decided to perpetuate the memory of the dead heroes in this marvelous monument. It is believed that it was created according to the drawing of Kim Il Sung himself, and was erected in August 1945 in the Moranbon Park. The monument is strewn with flowers and wreaths year-round.

Installed in the eastern part of the city, in the area of ​​the cemetery, where Soviet soldiers are buried.

The favorite place for festivities of the city is Moranbon Park on the high bank of the Tedongan River , where an obelisk is installed in honor of the liberation of Korea by the Soviet Army (Hebanthap).

The Liberation Tower is located in one of the central areas of Pyongyang - on the hill of Moranbon, which is a popular vacation spot for residents of the North Korean capital. The monument is a large 30-meter stele crowned with a red star.

It is located in the center of Pyongyang at the southern foot of Mount Moranbon and consists of a pedestal and a stele, on top of which a red star is installed. On the front of the stele there is an inscription in Korean “Hebanthap” (“Liberation Monument”).

In the central park of Pyongyang on Mount Moranbon there is a monument to Soviet soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Korea, which the residents of the city carefully look after now, at the beginning of the XXI century.

The monument is a stele crowned with a five-pointed red star . The height of the entire structure is 30 m.

Granite blocks weighing 3-45 tons were used for the construction of the monument. The number of stone blocks - 509 to mark Victory Day in World War II on May 9, and their total weight - 815 tons - marks the day of the liberation of Korea on August 15.

Area - more than 128 thousand square meters. m

At the bottom of the stele, on each side, there are inscriptions in Russian and Korean . The monument is often visited by official delegations, as well as tourists and residents of Pyongyang.

This is the only place in the DPRK where it can be read in Russian and Korean that the Soviet troops liberated the Korean people.

In granite, the monument was completed not so long ago, but the overall sculptural concept did not change. The monument is located in one of the best places in the capital.

The first inscription in front of the monument reads:

The great Soviet people defeated the Japanese imperialists and liberated the Korean people. The blood shed by Soviet soldiers during the liberation of Korea strengthened the bonds of friendship between the Korean and Soviet peoples. In a sign of national gratitude, this monument was erected. August 15, 1945.

위대한 쏘련 인민 은 일본 제국주의 를 쳐 부시고 조선 인민 을 해방 하였다. 조선 의 해방 을 위하여 흘린 피로 조선 인민 과 쏘련 인민 의 친선 은 더욱 굳게 맺어 졌나 니. 여기 에 탑 을 세워 전체 인민 의 감사 를 표 하노라. 1945 년 8 월 15 일.

The second inscription from the back of the monument reads:

The eternal glory of the great Soviet Army, which liberated the Korean people from the yoke of the Japanese imperialists and opened the way for freedom and independence! August 15, 1945

일본 군국주의 자 들의 강점 으로부터 조선 인민 을 해방 하고 자유 와 독립 의 길 을 열어 준 위대한 쏘련 군대 에 영광 이 있으라! 1945 년 8 월 15 일.

The image of the monument often appeared on stamps of the DPRK and the USSR.

• Original photo of the Liberation Monument
• Early photo of the monument
• Earlier photo of the monument
• Pyongyang Tourism Overview (includes several photos of the Liberation Monument)
• 1948 video with a monument
• Monument repair