Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
26 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
26 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
26 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
26 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All North Korea Pyongyang Mansu Hill Grand Monument

Mansu Hill Grand Monument

A giant bronze monument to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il is one of the most sacred sites in North Korea.

Pyongyang, North Korea

Added By
Emma
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Visitors bowing in a show of respect for North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on Mansudae (Mansu Hill) in Pyongyang, North Korea.   Bjørn Christian Tørrissen
Visitors bowing in a show of respect for North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on Mansudae (Mansu Hill) in Pyongyang, North Korea.   Bjørn Christian Tørrissen
Paying respects   emmastargirl / Atlas Obscura User
The bronze struggle   emmastargirl / Atlas Obscura User
Kim II Sung and King Jung II  
  calflier001
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On Mansu Hill in North Korea's capital city, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il stand a staggering 20 meters of bronze. This memorial monument allows the Great Leaders—who are immortal in the eyes of the people—to be remembered forever. It is one of the most sacred places in the DPRK.  

As such, visitors are expected to show the correct visiting etiquette—purchasing flowers to lay at the giant statues' feet, marching in solemn line, hand by your sides and bowing. Photographs of just part of the monument are forbidden and considered insulting; photos must be framed to include the entire monument.

Kim Il-sung—the one with his arm outstretched away from the 70-meter-wide mosaic of Mount Paektu— was the original monument, unveiled in 1972 to celebrate the leader's 60th birthday. (Reportedly the statue was originally covered in gold leaf, but was changed to the less expensive bronze at the insistence of China.)  After his death, the leader's son, Kim Jong-il joined him in bronze.

On either side of the two Great Leaders, there are enormous stones with KWP flags and 228 bronze figures all standing at 5 meters high. This sculpture is symbolic of the socialist revolution and the struggle against North Korea's imperialist enemies, the Japanese. The American enemies are not forgotten either; they have a slogan dedicated to them: "Let us drive out US imperialism and reunify the country."

Related Tags

Communism Communist Monuments Monuments Statues

Community Contributors

Added By

emmastargirl

Edited By

Blindcolour, Meg

  • Blindcolour
  • Meg

Published

October 3, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.lonelyplanet.com/north-korea/pyongyang/sights/landmarks-monuments/mansudae-grand-monument
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansu_Hill_Grand_Monument
Mansu Hill Grand Monument
Somun St
Pyongyang
North Korea
39.030527, 125.753995
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Kim Il-sung Square

Pyongyang, North Korea

miles away

Chollima Statue

Pyongyang, North Korea

miles away

Arch of Triumph

Pyongyang, North Korea

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pyongyang

Pyongyang

North Korea

Places 12
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Kim Il-sung Square

Pyongyang, North Korea

miles away

Chollima Statue

Pyongyang, North Korea

miles away

Arch of Triumph

Pyongyang, North Korea

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pyongyang

Pyongyang

North Korea

Places 12
Stories 3

Related Places

  • The bust of José Martí looks out upon Cuba.

    Cuba

    José Martí Bust on Pico Turquino

    The Cuban revolutionary looks over the country from its highest peak.

  • Mitrovica Miners Monument

    Mitrovica, Kosovo

    Mitrovica Miners Monument

    Two distorted Romanesque columns hold aloft a mine cart in honor of laborers who died during WWII.

  • Hanoi, Vietnam

    Statue of Lenin

    A gift from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, this is the only statue of the Soviet dictator in Southeast Asia.

  • The barracks.

    Recsk, Hungary

    Recsk National Memorial Park

    For decades, Hungary's Communist Party insisted this gulag had never existed.

  • Berlin, Germany

    Marx and Engels Forum

    One of downtown Berlin's last reminders of its Communist past.

  • Looking up the inside of the memorial tower

    Novo Selo Palanječko, Croatia

    Monument to the Detachment in Brezovica Forest

    A tower marking the spot where Yugoslavia began its resistance against the invading Nazis stands neglected, but not quite forgotten.

  • Karl Marx Karlovy Vary

    Karlovy Vary, Czechia

    Karl Marx Monument

    A larger-than-life statue of the German revolutionist stands proud in a small town where he never lived.

  • Čačak, Serbia

    Čačak Mausoleum of Struggle and Victory

    This symbol of Yugoslav liberation decorated with 620 carved heads of mythical creatures is now a forlorn relic of another time.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.