{"id":3913,"date":"2021-02-10T11:45:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T11:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=3913"},"modified":"2021-03-18T11:42:18","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:42:18","slug":"commemorating-the-fallen-the-revolutionary-martyrs-cemetery-in-pyongyang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/commemorating-the-fallen-the-revolutionary-martyrs-cemetery-in-pyongyang\/","title":{"rendered":"Commemorating the fallen: the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery in Pyongyang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On a hillside above Pyongyang, commanding a wonderful view of the city, stand row on row of granite blocks, each topped with a bust. The figures portrayed gaze out over the wooded slope of Mount Taesong to the rapidly changing cityscape below. These are North Korea\u2019s fallen, martyrs in the cause of freedom from Japanese occupation.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the rest of the world recognises that the occupation of Korea came to an end when the Soviet Red Army invaded the north in 1945. The country was divided, with the north coming under Soviet control and the south under the USA. Subsequently the Soviets introduced Kim il Sung to the people as a guerrilla hero who had fought with the Red Army against the Japanese. As leader, Kim il Sung built on that mythology and today the North Koreans tell a rather different version of that period in their history (as they do about the Korean War<\/a>). In their account, Kim il Sung led a group of Koreans in a heroic battle against the Japanese; and they owe them their freedom and independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery is both cemetery and memorial, commemorating those who fought in the revolution against Japanese occupation. Our guide told us that this site was chosen so that the martyrs who had died during or soon after the struggle could see how the city had developed, and what a success was being made of the country they had fought for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Steps
View of Pyongyang from the cemetery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Visiting the cemetery<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On either side of the approach to the site are massive white granite sculptures. They portray groups of revolutionary fighters in the typical brutalist style that always fascinates me.<\/p>\n\n\n