Mt. Chilbo | North Korea

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Mt. Chilbo in DPRK consists of many figures of rocks formed by the long time erosion of various eruptive rocks pertaining to the Paekdu Volcanic Zone.

In 2000 Mt.Chilbo was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

Kaesong Namdaemun | North Korea

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The Kaesong Namdaemun is the south gate of the old walled city of Kaesong, North Korea. Constructed between 1391 and 1393, it is the only one of the original seven citadel gates to survive mostly intact into the present.

Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site consists of 12 separate components. One of these is Kaesong Namdaemun.

A postcard from DPRK

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This card travelled from North Korea to my home in little more than a week. Covering a distance of about 10.000 km. Thank you Koryo travel for sending!

North Korea is well known for its propaganda posters. This one looks rather peacefully. The posters are meant to inspire patriotism, build confidence in the leadership and give a sense that the struggles of life are for the greater glory of the nation.

Together we stand, divided we fall | North Korea

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Single-hearted unity is the mainstay of Juche-oriented revolution and almighty weapon!

This is the text on the back of the card, most likely a translation of the text in Korean. But what does it mean? Juche? The North Korean calendar or Juche calendar, named after the Juche ideology, is the system of year numbering used in North Korea.

Juche means something like self-reliance or self-dependence. Juche is the official state ideology of North Korea, described by the government as Kim Il-sung's "original, brilliant and revolutionary contribution to national and international thought". It says that an individual is "the master of his destiny", that the North Korean masses are to act as the "masters of the revolution and construction", and that by becoming a self-reliant and strong nation one can achieve true socialism.

North Korea Postcard

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Propaganda: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.

"North and South Korea on Alert Over Loudspeakers Blaring Propaganda

AUG. 21, 2015

After a period of calm — or relative calm, at least — along the heavily militarized border between North and South Korea, both sides were back on alert Friday. The unlikely cause: Loudspeakers.

 North Korea said Friday morning that its leader, Kim Jong-un, had ordered military units to be ready to attack loudspeakers near the border that the South has used in recent days to blare propaganda messages."

Mangyongdae Native House, North Korea

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Mangyongdae is located in the outskirts of Pyongyang, the capital of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Mangyongdae Native House is the birthplace of Kim Il-Sung (1912–1994), the leader of North Korea, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, abbreviated to DPRK, and commonly referred to as North Korea, is a country in East Asia, located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital is Pyongyang.

It's a small, isolated Asian country, yet North Korea has managed to grab world headlines for decades. Its people are highly sheltered, its government intensely secretive and its borders tightly controlled.

North Korea, with a population of nearly 24.5 million was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. Japan, which had occupied Korea, withdrew, leaving Soviet troops to control the north and U.S. forces to occupy the south. In 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was officially proclaimed. Much of North Korea's history has been dominated by its first leader, Kim Il-sung (The Great Leader), who ruled from 1948 until his death in 1994.

Stamps

(middle) North Korea flag.

(right) From a set of four stamps about monkeys, the cotton-headed tamarin (Saguinus oedipus).