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North Korea -> Mt. Myohyang -> International Friendship Exhibition International Friendship Exhibition 
Mt. Myohyang, The International Friendship Exhibition is located along the peaceful Myohyang Stream in the Myohyang mountains approximately 1 mi. / 1.5 km. from the Hyangsan Hotel. The exhibition halls were first opened in August 26, 1978. The main building houses gifts to Kim Il Sung. It has six stories and over 355,200 sq. ft. / 33,000 sq. m. of floor space. They contains approximately 50 rooms showcasing the over 225,000 gifts that have been presented to President Kim Il Sung, but also some to Kim Jung Il, over the course of 50 years or more. There are gifts from over 180 countries, from heads of state to people from all walks of life. The U.S. has a modest, single display cabinet that features a cigarette box from Air Force One presented by Jimmy Carter, and another gift from “the religious leader” of the U.S., the Rev. Billy Graham. Other rooms display armored cars and two armored railway cars given to President Kim Il Sung by friends and/or admirers in the former Soviet Union, China and Japan. One room showcases sets of furniture given by an Asian businessman who was obviously looking to influence a sale. There is also a very life-like wax statue of Kim Il Sung donated by China. The second, smaller hall houses gifts to Kim Jung Il showcasing the approximately 50,000 gifts that have been presented to him over the course of 30-40 years. There are gifts from over 100 countries. The U.S. has a larger set of display cabinets that feature such items a a basketball signed by Michael Jordan, given by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on her visit in 2000. . The exhibition halls are mostly underground, but the buildings above ground were built in a monumental Korean style although completely with concrete. The exteriors look like they are made of wood and seemingly have many windows. This is an illusion as there is no wood and there are no windows. The roofs, however are made with beautiful green tiles forming graceful curves. Both buildings are light, temperature and humidity controlled. . |
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