Jump to content

Grand People's Study House

Coordinates: 39°01′13″N 125°44′59″E / 39.02028°N 125.74972°E / 39.02028; 125.74972
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grand People's Study House
인민대학습당
Study House in May 2015
Map
LocationPyongyang, North Korea
TypePublic
Established1982 (43 years ago) (1982)
Other information
Websitewww.gpsh.edu.kp
Grand People's Study House
Chosŏn'gŭl
인민대학습당
Hancha
人民大學習堂
Revised RomanizationInmin Daehakseupdang
McCune–ReischauerInmin Taehaksŭptang

The Grand People's Study House (Korean: 인민대학습당) is the central library located in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. The library was built in 1982 in honour of the Supreme Leader Kim Il Sung's 70th birthday. It is located in the centre of the capital, situated on Kim Il Sung Square by the banks of the Taedong River, and it is near the Juche Tower, further establishing a connection between the people and the Juche ideology.[1]

While the library is the centre of Juche studies, lectures and materials concerning other topics can also be found there. Materials are strictly accessible to librarians and staff, but people can still search the online or print catalogues to find what they would like to borrow. A formal communication from the library is issued to the offender's employer if a borrowed item is not returned on time. Staff members are then required to return the item right away. Likewise, foreign publications are available only with special permission.

History

[edit]

The construction began in April 1982, in part to celebrate Kim Il Sung's 70th birthday, and spanned 21 months.[2] American evangelist Billy Graham gave a talk in the Study House in 1994, when religious practices in North Korea are often met with harsh punishments.[3]

In February 2024, the Ministry of Education issued Pyongyang travel passes to professors from universities in other provinces of the country so they could go to the Grand People's Study House to obtain documents and materials required for their research.[4] In July, according to the Ministry of Unification, students studying abroad were ordered to return to North Korea for the first time in 5 years to resume ideological education. Such education, as reported by South Korean news outlets, included a planned political training session related to Kim Jong Un at the library, which was scheduled to occur later that month.[5]

Features

[edit]

The library is located in the Central District of Pyongyang, at the Kim Il Sung Square, which also houses such buildings as Supreme People's Assembly and Korean Art Gallery.[6][1] The Juche Tower is situated on the east bank of the Taedong River, directly opposite Kim Il Sung Square on the west bank.[7]

Serving as a manifestation of leader Kim Il Sung's "spirit and wisdom",[8] the Study House was one of the few buildings in Pyongyang[9][10] that was constructed in a neo-traditional Korean style, having been built to resemble a hanok[11] at the insistence of Kim Jong Il.[12] The library towers 10 storeys tall and has a total floor space of 100,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft) and 600 rooms.[13][14][15] Its roof is adorned with traditional, green-colored tiles.[15] In each room and in every atrium, portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are hung, reminding visitors of the country's strict surveillance.[8] Statues of Kim Il Sung positioned in front of paintings of Mount Paektu, as well as chandeliers, are also common decorations in the library.[9]

Collection

[edit]

A library's size is determined by the number of books it is expected to store;[16][17] in this case, the Grand People's Study House can house up to 30 million books,[14][18][19] of which it contains around 10,800 documents that Kim Il Sung wrote, which includes "on-the-spot guidance",[20] but its actual collection size is unknown.[14] The writings of his successor, Kim Jong Il, are also included. Materials are accessible to librarians and staff, and library visitors need to search the online or print catalogues to find what they would like to borrow and place a request.[1] Materials are provided in Korean, English, French, Russian, German, Chinese and Japanese.[14] Foreign publications, such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Gone with the Wind,[9] are available only with special permission.[21] When the borrowing period expires, the employer is then required to remind their staff member to return the item right away.[1]

As reported by Korean Central Television, Kim Jong Il had been a regular donor of the Study House, sending in around 670 books of 189 types in winter 2007, and around 400 books of 300 titles in spring 2007. The books included the Guinness Book of World Records, a sound effects design guide, architectural environmental acoustics, and around 250 books related to agriculture, including new mushroom cultivation techniques and techniques preventing swine diseases. Alongside books, the chairmen gave the library CDs storing science and technology books separated by sector, geophysical exploration, health and longevity, etc.[22]

Operation

[edit]

The library is the national centre of Juche studies, with one North Korean guide reportedly studying the "Great Leader" Kim Il Sung and "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il for a total of 90 minutes per day.[23] Lectures on a variety of subjects also take place, many of which centre around scientific and technological issues that arise in the country.[24]

The institutional organization of North Korea is hierarchical, with the president of the Grand People's Study House at its apex. The president gives orders to the national librarians, assigning each of them specific discipline or subject area, and determining their collections. Each national librarian is responsible for all policies related to their area of expertise.[1] Additionally, each librarian is classified into one of 6 grades based on their performance on a library certification exam. Some librarians are given the titles of "meritorious" or "people's", requiring 15 and 20 years of working at the Grand People's Study House, respectively.[17] As of 2019, the library curator is Choi Heui-jung.[25]

A computer study room at the Grand People's Study House. Photo taken in March 2014. The computers give access to the North Korean intranet, not the worldwide Internet.

The library has numerous spacious computer rooms with modern computers providing access to the North Korean intranet.[9] Alongside Juche, computer education is compulsory in North Korea, making them the two most popular subjects studied by military officers and university students. People with computer-related office jobs, such as librarians, are seen in high regard.[1] English is a widely chosen language for North Koreans to learn, though most citizens claim they need to learn it "to develop the country" or to "do business with other countries", as one tourist working for Daily NK points out.[9]

Significance and reception

[edit]

Although not the national library of North Korea, the Grand People's Study House acts as a "quasi-national library" alongside the official National Central Library.[26] Further supporting this reputation is the library's popularity; on 28 January 1989, the Pyongyang Broadcasting Station reported that since the library's inception, over 10 million people have visited the Grand People's Study House annually.[27]

The Study House was opened as "a sanctuary of learning".[18] In his two-part account of North Korean libraries, library and information scientist Marc Kosciejew[28] uses the conceptual framework of "library-as-place", illuminating its significance in the lives of North Koreans as both a place of cult of personality and governmental control, as well as an opportunity for cultural and social gatherings. It is also across from the Juche Tower, the physical manifestation of North Korea's Communist brand, cementing the connection between the people of North Korea and the Juche ideology.[1] The library further helps reinforce the Juche mindset through the tightly controlled and monitored information and events that are available to the public, but the fact that the library makes some information available is notable among the country.[8]

The library, as well as its patrons, follow Kim Il Sung's "study-while-working" mindset to help North Koreans advance their socialist and self-reliant education, and strengthen their admiration for the Kim family. For major media coverage, the library is often seen in speeches, military and nuclear parades, and performances celebrating national holidays.[1]

[edit]
  • Grand People's Study House, as seen from across the Taedong River
    Grand People's Study House, as seen from across the Taedong River
  • The building at night
    The building at night
  • Grand People's Study House Library
    Grand People's Study House Library
  • Visitors searching for books at a computer catalogue at the Grand People's Study House
    Visitors searching for books at a computer catalogue at the Grand People's Study House

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Kosciejew, Marc (2009). "Inside an Axis of Evil Library: A First-Hand Account of the North Korea Dear Leader's Library System Part One" (PDF). Feliciter. 55 (4): 167–170. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  2. ^ Portal, Jane; British Museum (2005). Art under control in North Korea. Reaktion Books. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-86189-236-2.
  3. ^ Corfield, James (1 December 2014). Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. Anthem Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.
  4. ^ Jeong Tae Joo (23 February 2024). "Education ministry cracks down on universities' careless dispensing of funds, travel passes". Daily NK.
  5. ^ Seo Ji-eun (4 July 2024). "North Korea recalls overseas students for indoctrination for first time in 5 years: Unification Ministry". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  6. ^ "Museums in N. Korea". KBS World (TV channel). 4 May 2022.
  7. ^ Coonan, Clifford (21 October 2006). "Kim Jong Il, the tyrant with a passion for wine, women and the bomb". The Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  8. ^ a b c Kosciejew, Marc (2009). "Inside an Axis of Evil Library: A First-Hand Account of the North Korean Dear Leader's Library System Part Two" (PDF). Feliciter. 55 (5): 207–209. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e "평양 인민대학습당 풍경, 거대한 '트루먼 쇼'와 흡사" [Pyongyang People's Grand Study House Scene, Similar to a Giant 'Truman Show']. Daily NK (in Korean). 12 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Encountering North Korea-Style Education". Daily NK. 13 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Pyongyang's grand architectural statements: North Korea's iconic buildings offer insight into how the hermit kingdom sees itself and its future". Korea JoongAng Daily. 4 June 2018.
  12. ^ Kim, Cheehyung Harrison (24 October 2021). "Pyongyang Modern: Architecture of Multiplicity in Postwar North Korea". Journal of Korean Studies. 26 (2). Duke University Press: 271–296. doi:10.1215/07311613-9155193.
  13. ^ Willoughby, Robert (2008). The Bradt Travel Guide: North Korea (2 ed.). Bradt Travel Guides. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-84162-219-4.
  14. ^ a b c d Yoo-Seong Song (February 2019). "A glimpse into academic and research libraries in North Korea". International Insights. CARL News.
  15. ^ a b "Kim Il-sung Square in N. Korea". KBS World (TV channel). 1 February 2023.
  16. ^ Song, p. 19.
  17. ^ a b "Libraries in N. Korea (2)". Korean Broadcasting System. 1 April 2021.
  18. ^ a b French, Paul (2007). North Korea: the paranoid peninsula--a modern history2 (2 ed.). Zed Books. p. 299. ISBN 978-1-84277-905-7.
  19. ^ Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Issues 406-415. Foreign Languages Pub. House. 1990. p. 18.
  20. ^ Callick, Rowan (22 September 2007). "The cult of the Kims". The Australian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2012.
  21. ^ Robinson, Martin; Bender, Andrew (2004). Korea. Whyte, Rob. Lonely Planet. p. 345. ISBN 978-1-74059-449-3.
  22. ^ "김정일, 인민대학습당에 기네스북 보내" [Kim Jong-il sends Guinness Book of Records to the People's Study House]. Daily NK (in Korean). 17 May 2007.
  23. ^ Roberts, Dexter (2 October 2007). "In the Land of the Dear Leader". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  24. ^ "Grand People's Study House". Korean Central News Agency. 3 March 2009. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011.
  25. ^ Savolainen, Liisa (23 October 2017). "CNDL Address" (PDF). Conference of Directors of National Libraries. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  26. ^ Stam, David H., ed. (2016). International Dictionary of Library Histories. London: Routledge. pp. 482–483. ISBN 978-1-136-77785-1.
  27. ^ "네이버 뉴스 라이브러리". Naver (in Korean). 2 February 1989.
  28. ^ "Dr Marc Kosciejew, Biography section". L-Università ta' Malta. Malta: L.-Università ta' Malta. Retrieved 23 December 2018. Dr. Marc Kosciejew is a Lecturer of Library, Information, and Archive Sciences within the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences (MaKS) at the University of Malta. [...] In 2007 he conducted research in North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) on the secretive Communist state's library system, becoming one of the first English-speakers to present and publish on this specific topic. His articles on North Korean libraries, featured in a 2009 two-part series in the national journal of the Canadian Library Association (CLA), are some of the first articles to directly discuss and critically analyze the libraries, specifically the national Grand People's Study House, of the so-called 'hermit kingdom'.

Citations

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grand People's Study House.

39°01′13″N 125°44′59″E / 39.02028°N 125.74972°E / 39.02028; 125.74972

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grand_People%27s_Study_House&oldid=1293608244"