{"id":26546,"date":"2014-03-21T19:03:50","date_gmt":"2014-03-21T10:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.dailynk.com\/en\/?p=26546"},"modified":"2020-01-17T08:28:56","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T23:28:56","slug":"touring-the-showcase-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/","title":{"rendered":"Touring the Showcase Capital"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The final set of photos includes miscellaneous shots of Pyongyang, including the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall,<br \/>\nthe Pyongyang Indoor Ice Rink and the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War<br \/>\nMuseum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_266_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>We visited the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall on the 17<sup>th<\/sup>,<br \/>\nwhich was also a public holiday. The hall housed a gallery of flower sculptures<br \/>\ngiven to North Korea by various foreign governments and institutions, and all prominently<br \/>\nfeatured the vivid red Kimjongilia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_267_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>It was very crowded in the exhibition hall and we only had<br \/>\ntime to walk around the pavilion once, which meant shuffling from sculpture to<br \/>\nsculpture while herded in the direction they wanted us to go. There were two floors of dioramas of factories,<br \/>\nrockets, and snowy landscapes. &nbsp;Every<br \/>\nsingle one of them was decorated with the same flower.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_268_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>This would have been boring were it not for the hundreds of soldiers<br \/>\nwho were also paying a visit to the hall that day. Most had come in from rural areas in the north for a special holiday trip to the capital. I noticed that on the whole they were rather short.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_281_297002_1395395006_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>Our tour guide [middle] dutifully ignored<br \/>\nthe stares our group was attracting, but there was no way to escape the fact that<br \/>\nwe were turning heads. Although we had been told not to take photos of any soldiers<br \/>\nduring our trip, it was impossible not to catch some in the shots we<br \/>\ntook at the exhibition hall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_269_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>A very large crowd of soldiers had gathered by one of the largest sculptures. When<br \/>\nthey noticed our tour group, someone called for them to make some room so that<br \/>\nthe foreigners could take a group photo in front of the sculpture. What<br \/>\nhappened next was like the parting of the Red Sea.&nbsp; The soldiers all grew quiet and made way for<br \/>\nus. &nbsp;It was one of the most awkward<br \/>\nscenes I have ever been a part of.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_270_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>After the flower exhibition, we watched the closing ceremony<br \/>\nof the 23<sup>rd<\/sup> Mt. Baekdu Prize International Figure Skating Festival<br \/>\nat the Pyongyang Indoor Ice Rink.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It was no Olympics, but the performances were enjoyable. It was easy to just sit back and enjoy the figure<br \/>\nskating; to forget where I was and ignore the propaganda banners hanging<br \/>\nfrom the ceiling. I remember thinking it was a positive thing that Pyongyang was<br \/>\nengaging in sports diplomacy, although the crowds were obviously much more<br \/>\nenthusiastic about the North Korean performances than any of the others.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_271_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>The North Korean<br \/>\nperformances were distinguishable by the nationalist music and the backdrops of<br \/>\nfireworks and military formations, which was slightly off-putting and quite<br \/>\ndifferent from the rest of the program.&nbsp;<o:p><\/o:p>They placed second after Russia. Other countries represented included Latvia, Italy, the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_272_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>Our group was<br \/>\nsurprised when a Russian pair skated to Lana Del Rey\u2019s \u201cYoung and<br \/>\nBeautiful.\u201d Until that point, the music<br \/>\nhad been classical or instrumental and certainly not as blatantly American as<br \/>\nthis song was.&nbsp; Other surprises included<br \/>\na Latvian solo performance to \u201cPart of Your World\u201d from the stage version of <i>The<br \/>\nLittle Mermaid,<\/i> and another solo performance to what was unmistakably an<br \/>\ninstrumental version of Rihanna\u2019s \u201cRude Boy\u201d (although the translated title in<br \/>\nKorean was \u201cRhythm\u201d).<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_273_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, our<br \/>\ngroup had a great opportunity to try the ice for ourselves at a public skate rink. Ice skating and rollerblading are currently very popular in Pyongyang.<br \/>\nThe rink was chaotic and way over capacity, but it was very fun. With so many<br \/>\npeople around and nobody watching us, it was easy to be silly, skate in<br \/>\ncircles, slip and fall, and talk to strangers. In a complete reversal from the<br \/>\nsituation at the exhibition hall, we actually seemed to blend in. It was a rare<br \/>\nchance to do something normal by North Korean standards, and I made the best of<br \/>\nit by striking up a conversation with a man I noticed curiously glancing over<br \/>\nat our group.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I planted myself next to him and introduced<br \/>\nmyself. For the next half hour, we chatted in mixed Korean and English,<br \/>\nstarting with the typical, \u201cYour Korean is very good! Why are you learning it?\u201d<br \/>\nHe was a physics student at Kim Il Sung University and, \u201cthanks to the<br \/>\nbenevolent leadership of Kim Jong Eun,\u201d was working hard toward his degree. He<br \/>\nwas very amicable and excited to meet my American friends, whom I introduced<br \/>\njust before we had to leave. I wish that we had exchanged contact information<br \/>\nor even taken a photo together, but we were in a hurry, so I just said goodbye and<br \/>\nhe skated away.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_274_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>On the last full day<br \/>\nof our trip, our group visited the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum.<br \/>\nIt had been renovated last July and the new wing of the museum was opulent and<br \/>\nquite stunning. This photo shows the entrance gate to the museum as well as the<br \/>\nunfinished Ryugyong Hotel in the distance. <o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_275_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>Our tour guide began<br \/>\nby providing us with information on the Korean War with this outdoor display of<br \/>\nenemy guns, tanks, planes, and other vehicles and equipment. &nbsp;I found it amusing at first that battle debris from the war had been proudly put on display here, but as we progressed I saw the wreckage<br \/>\nof a helicopter that had been captured in the 1960s, as well as other \u201ctrophies\u201d taken<br \/>\nfrom as recently as the 1990s. This made it clear that the North Koreans believe<br \/>\nAmerica is still an aggressive enemy that sends spy ships and aircraft.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_276_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>The star of the show<br \/>\nwas the USS Pueblo, captured in 1968. It is permanently docked next to the<br \/>\nmuseum and a propaganda video inside lauds the efforts of the North Korean military<br \/>\nin teaching the United States a lesson about infringing on the sovereignty of<br \/>\nother nations. Bullet holes<br \/>\nmade by the attacking Korean soldiers were circled in red and photos of the<br \/>\ncaptured (and one killed) American soldiers were on display. The incident had<br \/>\nbeen transformed into fodder for the North\u2019s ceaseless anti-American rhetoric.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The framing of the USS Pueblo incident paled<br \/>\nin comparison to the museum itself. Photography was expressly forbidden inside,<br \/>\nso I can only use words to describe it.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The exhibits employ<br \/>\nadvanced technology such as motion-controlled lighting and sound effects,<br \/>\ninteractive maps, and realistic life-sized dioramas of destroyed buildings,<br \/>\npillaging tanks, and grim-faced North Korean soldiers. I thought to myself, \u201cWell,<br \/>\nwhy wouldn\u2019t anyone believe the half-truths they\u2019re told here?\u201d Stunning<br \/>\nvisuals in a recreated underground battle bunker and a 360 degree<br \/>\nrevolving panorama of the Battle of Daejeon certainly create a convincing narrative for<br \/>\nvisitors. <o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Our well-trained and<br \/>\nrather severe museum tour guide led us past diagrams of the advances made by<br \/>\nthe Korean People\u2019s Army in the early months of the war, and spoke grandly of<br \/>\nGeneral Kim Il Sung\u2019s military prowess. There was no mention of the role China<br \/>\nand the Soviet Union played in the war, and very little information about the<br \/>\nyears following the landing of United States forces at Incheon. The rest of our<br \/>\ntour focused on the heroic acts and survival strategies of KPA soldiers after<br \/>\nthe tide had turned and they had to struggle through brutal winters. We passed<br \/>\na hall dedicated to war heroes, and I kept thinking, \u201cThis museum is <i>enormous<\/i> &#8211; how much more is there to<br \/>\nsee?\u201d We weren\u2019t shown even half of it in the afternoon we spent there.<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_277_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>It was certainly odd<br \/>\nto hear our museum guide constantly refer to the United States and South Korea<br \/>\nas \u201cthe enemy\u201d. I wondered if she ever thought her tour group, many of whom<br \/>\nwhere Americans and Korean Americans, would take offense. <o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_278_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>Our tour group ate its<br \/>\nfinal meal in Pyongyang at a pizzeria. As the story goes, Kim Jong Il visited<br \/>\nItaly and became inspired to bring its cuisine back to his country. He sent a<br \/>\nfamily to Italy to train for several years in the art of pizza making. There<br \/>\nare now two pizzerias in Pyongyang and it is said all of the ingredients they<br \/>\nuse are imported directly from Italy. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_279_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t bad!<o:p><\/o:p><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/efile\/201403\/DNKE_280_297002_1395393894_i.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>The last photo I took<br \/>\nwas of our Air Koryo plane at the Beijing Airport. Upon returning to a country<br \/>\nwith [almost] unrestricted internet access I experienced a tinge of culture shock<br \/>\nand realized what a week in the Hermit Kingdom could do to your perspective on the<br \/>\nworld. <a name=\"_GoBack\"><\/a>My view of North Korea has forever changed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The final set of photos includes miscellaneous shots of Pyongyang, including the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall, the Pyongyang Indoor Ice Rink and the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. We visited the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall on the 17th, which was also a public holiday. The hall housed a gallery of flower sculptures given to North Korea by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":26548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Touring the Showcase Capital - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Touring the Showcase Capital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The final set of photos includes miscellaneous shots of Pyongyang, including the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall, the Pyongyang Indoor Ice Rink and the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. We visited the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall on the 17th, which was also a public holiday. The hall housed a gallery of flower sculptures given to North Korea by [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-03-21T10:03:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-16T23:28:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/03\/DNKF00011664_List.gif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"140\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"86\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daily NK\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daily NK\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Daily NK\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4e0f6adc3d039444440ecc65e9e0aef5\"},\"headline\":\"Touring the Showcase Capital\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-21T10:03:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-16T23:28:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1422,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2014\\\/03\\\/DNKF00011664_List.gif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis &amp; Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/\",\"name\":\"Touring the Showcase Capital - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2014\\\/03\\\/DNKF00011664_List.gif\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-21T10:03:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-01-16T23:28:56+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2014\\\/03\\\/DNKF00011664_List.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2014\\\/03\\\/DNKF00011664_List.gif\",\"width\":140,\"height\":86},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/touring-the-showcase-capital\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Touring the Showcase Capital\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\",\"name\":\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Daily NK English\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/top_logo@1x.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/top_logo@1x.png\",\"width\":272,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"Daily NK English\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"description\":\"An independent online news organization based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on internal North Korean affairs through a network of in-country sources and defector journalists. Part of the Unification Media Group (UMG) consortium.\",\"email\":\"dailynkenglish@uni-media.net\",\"telephone\":\"82-2-732-6998\",\"legalName\":\"DailyNK\",\"foundingDate\":\"2004-12-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4e0f6adc3d039444440ecc65e9e0aef5\",\"name\":\"Daily NK\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/images-1-e1589857625251-150x119.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/images-1-e1589857625251-150x119.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2020\\\/05\\\/images-1-e1589857625251-150x119.png\",\"caption\":\"Daily NK\"},\"description\":\"Questions or comments about this article? Contact us at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/author\\\/dailynk\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Touring the Showcase Capital - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Touring the Showcase Capital","og_description":"The final set of photos includes miscellaneous shots of Pyongyang, including the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall, the Pyongyang Indoor Ice Rink and the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. We visited the Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall on the 17th, which was also a public holiday. The hall housed a gallery of flower sculptures given to North Korea by [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/","og_site_name":"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","article_published_time":"2014-03-21T10:03:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-01-16T23:28:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":140,"height":86,"url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/03\/DNKF00011664_List.gif","type":"image\/gif"}],"author":"Daily NK","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Daily NK","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/"},"author":{"name":"Daily NK","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/4e0f6adc3d039444440ecc65e9e0aef5"},"headline":"Touring the Showcase Capital","datePublished":"2014-03-21T10:03:50+00:00","dateModified":"2020-01-16T23:28:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/"},"wordCount":1422,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/03\/DNKF00011664_List.gif","articleSection":["Analysis &amp; Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/","name":"Touring the Showcase Capital - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/03\/DNKF00011664_List.gif","datePublished":"2014-03-21T10:03:50+00:00","dateModified":"2020-01-16T23:28:56+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/03\/DNKF00011664_List.gif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2014\/03\/DNKF00011664_List.gif","width":140,"height":86},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/touring-the-showcase-capital\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Touring the Showcase Capital"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/","name":"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization","name":"Daily NK English","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/top_logo@1x.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/top_logo@1x.png","width":272,"height":90,"caption":"Daily NK English"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"description":"An independent online news organization based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on internal North Korean affairs through a network of in-country sources and defector journalists. Part of the Unification Media Group (UMG) consortium.","email":"dailynkenglish@uni-media.net","telephone":"82-2-732-6998","legalName":"DailyNK","foundingDate":"2004-12-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/4e0f6adc3d039444440ecc65e9e0aef5","name":"Daily NK","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/images-1-e1589857625251-150x119.png","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/images-1-e1589857625251-150x119.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/images-1-e1589857625251-150x119.png","caption":"Daily NK"},"description":"Questions or comments about this article? Contact us at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/author\/dailynk\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26546"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26547,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26546\/revisions\/26547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}