Kijong-dong

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Kijong-dong
The Kijŏng-dong flagpole, flying the DPRK flag.
The Kijŏng-dong flagpole, flying the DPRK flag.
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl 기정동
Hancha unknown
McCune-Reischauer Kijŏng tong
Revised Romanization Gijeongdong

Kijŏng-dong (sometimes romanized as Gijeong-dong) is a village in Panmun-gun, North Korea. It is also called Propaganda village (선전마을) on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). [1][2] By contrast, in the north it is known as Peace Village (평화촌).[3] It is situated 1.8 kilometers from the South Korean village of Taeseong-dong, the only inhabited village in the southern side of the Korean DMZ.

A guidebook published in the north states: "In this village located in the Demilitarized Zone is the Panmun Cooperative Farm embracing over 200 households. The village has a kindergarten, creche [day care], senior middle school and a people's hospital."[4] At various times field workers and building workers are seen in Kijŏng-dong. However, many in the south believe that Kijŏng-dong was built within the DMZ purely for the purpose of propaganda. The village reportedly has no residents except soldiers. At night lights come on in some of the buildings, but they turn on in the same buildings every night at the same time.

The world's highest flag tower[5] stands at the entrance of Kijŏng-dong (160 meters tall) flying a North Korean flag. This tower was not originally as tall as it is now, but when the flag pole in Taeseong-dong was extended, thus making it taller than the Kijŏng-dong pole, the North again quickly extended their pole in what some have called the “flagpole war” (깃대 전쟁).[6]

Contents

[edit] Gallery

View of Kijŏng-dong

View of Kijŏng-dong

A wide view of Kijŏng-dong with flag pole prominent

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Korean Demilitarized Zone - Globalsecurity.org http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/dmz.htm
  2. ^ (Korean) 북한의 기정동 선전마을. TourDMZ.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.
  3. ^ Kijungdong, North Korea's Propaganda Village November 12, 2006 http://www.panmunjomtour.com/english/jsa/jsa_16.htm
  4. ^ A Sightseeng Guide to Korea by Pang hwon Ju & Hwang Bong Hyok, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, DPRK. 1991
  5. ^ Korea's DMZ: Scariest place on Earth February 20, 2002 http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/02/19/koreas.dmz/
  6. ^ (Korean) 개성에 '구멍탄' 5만장 배달했습니다. economy.ohmynews.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.

[edit] External links