Triumphal Arch

Your guides will tell you with barely concealed glee that the Triumphal Arch is 3m higher than its cousin in Paris, making it the largest in the world.

The arch marks the site where Kim Il Sung first addressed the liberated Koreans after the end of Japanese occupation in 1945. The gloss you hear will omit the fact that the Soviets liberated Pyongyang, not Kim Il Sung's partisans, who themselves gave full credit to the Soviets at the time. A vast mural a short walk away details the event and pictures a young Kim addressing a wildly enthusiastic local population. Set back from the arch is the Kim Il Sung Stadium.