[KS] Gold leaf on the Kim Il Sung statue in the Mansudae GrandMonument?

Fri Dec 28 21:43:47 EST 2012

Dear Dan and All,

There are at least two more sets of Kim 1 & Kim 2 Twin Statues in NK:

One in Hamhung City(함흥시) unveiled Dec. 21st. and the other in
Kanggye(강계시) unveiled Oct. 11th. as per KCNA.

Regards,

Yoo Kwang-On

1. In Hanjung City:
[image: Inline image 1]

Statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Erected in Hamhung City

Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Statues of President Kim Il Sung and leaderKim
Jong Il were erected on Tonghung Hill in Hamhung City, South Hamgyong
Province.

They depict Kim Il Sung raising his hand high, his face beaming with a
broad smile, andKim Jong Il, his face beaming with a broad smile, standing
in padded dress associated with his indefatigable efforts all his life
while wishing the great Paektusan nation a rosy future.

South Hamgyong Province is associated with the wise leadership of
GeneralissimosKim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

Thanks to the rare far-sightedness and energetic guidance of Kim Il Sung the
province, which had once just a deformed industry under the colonial rule
of the Japanese imperialists in the past, turned into a powerful industrial
province equipped with key industry which serves as a backbone of the
self-supporting national economy and all economic sectors urgently needed
for improving the people's living standard.

Kim Jong Il put forward the people in the province as pioneers in the
building of a thriving nation. He brought about such great auspicious event
as putting vinalon, fertilizer and magnesia clinker industries on a Juche
basis through his forced marches day and night despite mid-summer
sweltering weather and snow storm.

Their unveiling ceremony took place on Friday.

Present there were Kim Yong Nam, Choe Yong Rim, Choe Ryong Hae and other
senior officials of the party, state and army, officials concerned, service
personnel, officials and employees of the units and members of shock
brigade which contributed to the building of the statues, people, school
youth and children in the province.

Senior officials of the party, state, army and the province unveiled them.

A floral basket sent by the dear respected Kim Jong Un was laid before the
statues.

A floral basket was placed before them in the joint name of the Central
Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the Presidium of the DPRK
Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) and the DPRK Cabinet.

Also laid there were floral baskets in the name of the province, party and
power bodies, institutions, industrial establishments, farms and schools at
all levels in the province and units of the Korean People's Army.

All participants paid tribute to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in deep
reverence for them.

Kim Yong Nam, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK
Central Committee who is president of the SPA Presidium, made an address at
the ceremony.

It was a cherished desire of the people of the province to have their
statues in the province and convey their greatness to posterity, he said,
adding:

Members of shock brigade and other people in the province erected them at
the highest level in a short span of time by displaying intense loyalty and
sincerity.

He called on officials and other people to strive hard to win a final
victory in the revolutionary cause of Juche, Songun revolutionary cause
with the high honor and pride of erecting their statues, true to the
leadership of Kim Jong Un. -0-

2. In Kangkye City:

[image: Inline image 2]

Statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il Erected in Kanggye City

Pyongyang, October 11 (KCNA) -- Statues of President Kim Il Sung and leaderKim
Jong Il were erected in Kanggye City, Jagang Province.

The statue of Kim Il Sung depicts him standing in his military uniform
whose coat flying in the wind, his right hand held high and left hand
taking a pair of binoculars. He seems to dynamically arouse the army and
people of the DPRK to provide a turning-point in the Fatherland Liberation
War. The statue of Kim Jong Il imposingly standing in his padded dress
conveying so many stories about the Songun revolution depicts him with one
of his hands placed on his waist. His face beaming with a broad smile looks
as if he were wishing the great Paektusan power a rosy future.

An unveiling ceremony took place on Thursday.

Present there were Kim Yong Nam, Choe Yong Rim, Choe Ryong Hae, Kim Jong
Gak, Kim Ki Nam, officials concerned, service personnel, officials and
employees of the units who contributed to the erection of the statues,
members of the shock brigades and people and school youth and children in
the province.

The statues were unveiled by senior party, state and army officials and
leading officials of the province.

A floral basket sent by the dear respected Kim Jong Un was laid before the
statues.

Laid there then was a floral basket in the joint name of the Central
Committee of the Worker' Party of Korea, the Presidium of the Supreme
People's Assembly and the DPRK Cabinet.

Also placed there were a floral basket in the name of Jagang Province and
floral baskets in the name of the party and power organs, bodies of
different levels, enterprises, factories and farms, KPA units, etc. in
Jagang Province.

All the participants paid tribute in profound reverence to the statues of Kim
Il Sung andKim Jong Il.

Kim Yong Nam, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the
Central Committee of the WPK and president of the Presidium of the SPA,
made an unveiling speech.

He said the great Generalissimos paved the way of turning the province,
which had been considered as unfit for human habitation, into a good place
to live in and made sure that the province took the lead in the drive for
building a thriving nation.

Recalling that it was the ardent desire of the people in the province to
have statues of the great Generalissimos, he said the statues were erected
in a brief span of time on the highest level thanks to their loyalty.

After being briefed on the statues, the participants looked round the
statues. -0-

On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 11:35 AM, don kirk <kirkdon at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Visitors to Hamheung in July were taken to a KIS statue atop a small hill
> overlooking the main avenue through the city. The statue was definitely not
> gold -- bronze-coated or maybe bronze. The hill, we were told, was the
> creation of local citizens who piled up the earth to provide a fitting
> place for the statue. Incidentally, as in Pyongyang, someone in the grouip
> had to offer flowers while everyone lined up and bowed, or nodded, toward
> the statue.
> Don Kirk
>
> --- On *Fri, 12/28/12, Jim Hoare <jim at jhoare10.fsnet.co.uk>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Jim Hoare <jim at jhoare10.fsnet.co.uk>
>
> Subject: Re: [KS] Gold leaf on the Kim Il Sung statue in the Mansudae
> GrandMonument?
> To: kwlarsen67 at gmail.com, "'Korean Studies Discussion List'" <
> koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> Date: Friday, December 28, 2012, 9:40 AM
>
>
>   I would be interested in other views. I have seen many, many statues of
> Kim Il Sung in all sorts of places in the DPRK, but I do not remember one
> that shone as though it was covered in gold. Do others?
>
> Jim Hoare
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Koreanstudies [mailto:koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws] *On
> Behalf Of *Kirk Larsen
> *Sent:* 28 December 2012 01:52
> *To:* Korean Studies Discussion List
> *Cc:* Ruediger Frank
> *Subject:* Re: [KS] Gold leaf on the Kim Il Sung statue in the Mansudae
> GrandMonument?
>
>
>
> Thanks for the many comments on North Korean statues, old and new.
>
>
>
> I was hoping that Chris Springer would weigh in and am glad he did. Next
> time I am on campus, I will take a look at the 1977 *Democratic People's
> Republic of Korea* in order to satisfy my antiquarian curiosity about the
> gold. Many thanks!
>
>
>
> It is interesting to note that the 2001 “Short Biography” of Kim Jong Il
> credits Kim the younger (but no longer the youngest) with guiding the
> construction of the 1972 Mansudae statue:
>
>
>
> In order to celebrate Kim Il Sung ’s 60th birthday in a grand fashion, he
> guided the work of erecting Kim Il Sung ’s bronze statue in Pyongyang while
> encouraging the Party members and other working people to effect a fresh
> revolutionary upsurge.
>
>
>
> He said to the officials: “Building Comrade Kim Il Sung ’s bronze statue
> is an undertaking to uphold and safeguard his high authority and prestige,
> and hand down to posterity his greatness and august image. Therefore, the
> statue must be built so that it can radiate his greatness as an outstanding
> leader and his image as the benevolent father of the people.” (*Kim Jong
> Il: Short Biography*, 50).
>
>
>
> It is apparent that by 2001 at least, all memory of the statue being
> covered with gold had been erased.
>
>
>
> This appears to contrast with at least some other statues across the DPRK
> which, if some combination of defector testimony and P’yŏngyangologists
> (apologies to Frank Hoffmann) is to be trusted, are gold plated or at least covered
> with gold spray<http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02300&num=3525>(
> http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02300&num=3525):
>
>
>
> Also, because the statues of Kim Il Sung are gold plated, it is rumored
> that several hundred tons of gold are needed to manufacture them.
>
> A gold spray is used to coat the statues. Because the structure is made of
> bronze, it can corrode in the rain and wind. Therefore, every two years
> each figure is recoated with gold spray.
>
> However, there is one part of the structure that is manufactured in solid
> gold. To keep the statue from being struck by lightening, there is a rod of
> gold inserted in the center. There is a story told of a man who extracted a
> gold rod from one of the revered commemorative statues of Kim Il Sung
> during the extreme food shortage in 1997 and sold it to China. His deed was
> discovered and it is said that half way through his trial, the man
> committed suicide by hanging himself.
>
> The spray used to coat the statues is brought in from Germany at a very
> high cost. Because of this, it is said that the spray is only used on the
> statues of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Hyung Jik.
>
>
>
> As for the new Mansudae version of Kim Il Sung, the KCNA “explains” as
> follows:
>
>
>
> The statues portray smiling Kim Il Sung who indicates the way ahead with
> his hand held forward and smiling Kim Jong Il blessing Songun Korea
> prosperous morrow while looking far into its bright future in the new
> century.
>
>
>
> It is interesting to note that the new (or newer) statues of both father
> and son seem to emphasize the similarities between the two. Start with the stand-alone
> statue of Kim Jong Il<http://nkleadershipwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/2012-10-07-01-01.jpg>at the Ministry of State Security Headquarters (
> http://nkleadershipwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/2012-10-07-01-01.jpg),
> move on to the twin statues<http://nkleadershipwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/948708-2.jpg>on the campus of the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces (
> http://nkleadershipwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/948708-2.jpg,
> through the statues of father and son both on horseback<http://nkleadershipwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/6876075497_acb67297fe_o.jpg>(
> http://nkleadershipwatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/6876075497_acb67297fe_o.jpg)
> and end with the new and improved Mansudae statues and I get a strong sense
> that the powers that be in P’yŏngyang want to have father and son subtly
> meld together in public imagination. Perhaps a much needed correction to
> the persistent trope among defectors that while many still respect and
> honor Kim Il Sung, feelings for Kim Jong Il aren't as fond.
>
>
>
>  Cheers!
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 2:18 PM, Morriss, Peter <pete.morriss at nuigalway.ie<http://us.mc1623.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=pete.morriss@nuigalway.ie>>
> wrote:
>  Since we're on this topic, can I also ask if it is known why it was
> (they were) under wraps in September, depriving me of the honour of viewing
> it/them.  Have the wraps now been removed?  If so, what changes were made?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Pete Morriss
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Koreanstudies [koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws<http://us.mc1623.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=koreanstudies-bounces@koreaweb.ws>]
> on behalf of Ruediger Frank [ruediger.frank at univie.ac.at<http://us.mc1623.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=ruediger.frank@univie.ac.at>
> ]
> *Sent:* 27 December 2012 18:01
> *To:* Korean Studies Discussion List
> *Subject:* Re: [KS] Gold leaf on the Kim Il Sung statue in the Mansudae
> Grand Monument?
>
> Perhaps one of the colleagues on this list has a clue on a more recent
> aspect of statuology: As you know, in April 2012 a statue of Kim Jong Il
> was added to the top of Mansudae Hill. Not only was the one of Kim Il Sung,
> standing there since 1972, moved a few steps to the left; Kim Il Sung is
> now also wearing glasses, a smile, and a Western suit. Any reliable
> information on why that has been changed? No doubt the main statue of the
> leader in the country is of the highest symbolic value, so not even the
> smallest change would happen without a purpose. So what is it that the
> changed appearance of the Kim Il Sung statue wants to tell the North Korean
> people?
> All the best,
> Rudiger Frank
>
>
>
> on Mittwoch, 26. Dezember 2012 at 09:08 you wrote:
>
>
> *> There's a photo of the gilded Kim Il Sung statue in the North
> > Korean pictorial magazine "Democratic People's Republic of Korea,"
> > 12/1977. It looks quite different from the bronze version. As
> > Ruediger Frank suggests, too much light reflects off the surface,
> > and the statue's contrasts are lost.
>
> > As Jim Hoare notes, the statue was erected in 1972. The gilding
> > was applied in 1977, according to Helen-Louise Hunter's book
> > "Kim Il Song's North Korea."
>
> > The Chinese delegation in question visited September 8-13, 1978,
> > and the gold was allegedly removed soon after, perhaps even that
> > same month. (Did Chinese objections lead to the degilding? This
> > has been reported but not solidly established.)
>
> > While gilding a statue seems extravagant, gold plating is typically
> > so thin that the cost of the gold itself is not necessarily prohibitive.
>
> > Chris Springer
> > "Pyongyang: The Hidden History of the North Korean Capital"
> *> www.hiddenhistory.info <http://www.hiddenhistory.info/>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Kirk W. Larsen
> Department of History
> Assistant Director, Academic Programs and Research
> David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies
> 2151 JFSB
> BYU
> Provo, UT 84602-6707
> (801) 422-3445
>
>
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