Het lijkt erop dat een verplicht onderdeel van elk bezoek aan Noord-Korea voorlopig even niet van toepassing is:
Mansu Hill Kim Il-sung statue under wraps
A recent visitor to the DPRK emailed me to say that the Mansudae Grand Monument has been covered up and will be closed to visitors until next March. It appears they are renovating the national icon for Kim Il-sung’s 100th birthday next year.
I am unsure if just the Kim Il-sung statue is covered or if the entire monument is under wraps.
An undertaking this prestigious would have to be approved at “the highest level”.
Construction of the Tower of the Juche Idea was similarly shrouded in secrecy until it was unveiled to Kim Il-sung in 1982 to commemorate his 70th birthday.
Projects like this are conducted by a special division of the Mansudae Art Studio located in Phyongchon District, Pyongyang.
The Pyongyang residential neighborhood to the south of the monument is also being renovated.
If you plan on visiting the DPRK in the near future, please try and get a picture!!
Het monument in kwestie: