Kim Il Sung Birthday & Pyongyang Marathon Tour
The Day of the Sun is one of the most important days in the DPRK calendar and being in Pyongyang for the occasion of the birthday of the founder of the DPRK will allow you to join in the celebrations.
For those not interested in running it is possible to stay in the stadium and see football match, parachuting show and remote control plane exhibition.
Day 1 - April 10 (Friday) for those entering by plane
- JS 152 flight to Beijing at 12.00 from Beijing International Capital Airport - please note that extra flights may be scheduled on this day so please arrive in Beijing on Friday 10 April at the latest in case your flight is re-scheduled to an earlier time
- Arrive in Pyongyang at 15.00 (Pyongyang time)
- Arch of Triumph - marking the period spent by President Kim Il Sung fighting the Japanese and his return in 1945 to Korea, this collosal monument is larger than its Parisian counterpart.
- Brief walk around the area - we will see the enormous mural showing an image of President Kim Il Sung's speech upon returning to Korea after the liberation of the country in 1945. The Kim Il Sung Stadium is located close by too, though we will see more of this on Sunday
- Hotel check-in: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
- Welcome Dinner: KITC Restaurant, Pyongyang
Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Day 2 - April 11 (Saturday)
AM
- Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
- Drive to Mt. Myohyang - we head further north to this truly beautiful part of the DPRK.
- International Friendship Exhibition Centre - showing thousands of gifts given to the leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and Comrade Kim Jong Suk (wife of President Kim Il Sung and mother of General Kim Jong Il). There is now a section too for the Leader Marshall Kim Jong Un.
- Pohyon Buddhist Temple - first built in 1042, it used to be considered the capital of Buddhism in this part of Korea. Buddhism was strongest in Korea in the Koryo Dynasty (935 - 1392).
PM
- Chongchon Hotel, Mount Myohyang
- Drive back to Pyongyang.
- Korean War Museum - this War Museum was rebuilt only last year and is now an impressive complex, unique in its kind. It explains the DPRK view of the href Korean War. An extensive collection of vehicles and weapons can be seen. We will be guided around by a very friendly local guide.
- USS Pueblo- American Spyship captured in 1968. The crew stayed in the DPRK for 11 months. This is the only US vessel in posession of another country.
- Dinner: Pyongyang Number One Duck Barbecue Restaurant, Pyongyang
Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Day 3 - April 12 (Sunday)
AM
- Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
- Kim Il Sung Stadium - this is where the marathon will start. See our Youtube video below to have an idea of what the atmosphere will be like in the stadium! Thousands of people cheering, parachute events, a football match...
- Pyongyang Marathon - you will be able to participate in the full marathon, half marathon or 10 km marathon. The atmosphere will be amazing here and running into Kim Il Sung Stadium full of Koreans cheering is an experience hard to explain in writing, so you will have to experience this yourself if you would like a more detailed description of such a feeling!
- For those not interested in pariticipating in the running we will watch a football game in the stadium
PM
- Lunch: City restaurant, Pyongyang
- Fountain Park - popular amongst locals for wedding pictures and dates.
- Mansudae Grand Monuments - giant bronze statues of the leaders
- Ride on Pyongyang Metro - one of the deepest in the world - we will go on an extended ride with locals, having several stops that will allow you see one of the busiest aspects of life in Pyongyang
- Juche Tower - opportunity to go up the 150 metre tower (170 metres including the torch) that offers a panoramic view of Pyongyang.
- Kim Il Sung Square - we will walk around one of most known places of North, Korea, the square that hosts military parades and mass rallies.
- DPRK Bookstore - chance to see and purchase a wide variety of DPRK literature translated into English and other languages.
- Dinner: Local restaurant, Pyongyang
Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Day 4 - April 13 (Monday)
AM
- Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
- Drive to Kaesong (Panmunjom, the DMZ) - we leave Pyongyang early in the morning for this 2 and half hour drive south. As we approach Kaesong we will see the Kaesong Industrial Complex on the left hand side of our coach as well as the train station which leads to South Korea and represents the reunfication of the country.
- 38th Parallel (DMZ) - we will see the famous blue negotiation rooms where talks between North & South Korea are held. A Korean People's Army Officer will hop on our coach and us on our coach and guide us around Panmunjom. This is a great chance for us to interact with a KPA officer as they tend to ask us questions regarding our views on the Korean War or impressions about their country.
PM
- Lunch at Tongil Restaurant in Kaesong - we will be served a variety of dishesin small covered golden plated bowls. The number of dishes used to symbolise in ancient times the status of the person eating, 12 bowls is the largest amount served.
- Drive to Sariwon city- located in South Hwanghae Province, it is a lively city and one of the largest in the DPRK.
- Walk around Folk Street- We will walk around one of the busiest streets inthe city and will have the chance to stop by a local bar, called "Sul Jib" (술집)in Korean. You can order some makoli, a week alcoholic drink. Sariwon is renowned for it makoli and wine.
- Models of ancient pavilions- apart from seeing what Korea was like in ancient times we will most likely have the chance to see locals playing games in the street. Apart from chess, many locals gather at stalls and shoot targets with air rifles (corks are used as bullets). We can of course join in!
- Walk up Mount Kyongnam - this walk is not as daunting as it may sound! It takes around 5 to 10 minutes to walk up to the main pavillion where we will have fabulous views of the whole city of Sariwon and of its surrounding areas. You can see a short video of the main street we walk around in Sariwon and of the views from Mount Kyongnam in our video below (feel free to visit KTG's Youtube Channel for more videos):
- Transfer to Pyongyang
- Three Charters Reunification Monument - consisting of two ladies that represent the reunification of the Korean Peninsula
- Dinner: Local restaurant, Pyongyang
Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Day 5 - April 14 (Tuesday)
AM
- Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
- Drive to the Port City of Nampo on the west coast of Korea. We will drive on the almost completely empty lanes of the Youth Hero Highway which was built by university students at the end of the 1990s i.e. the "Arduous March" period. Some of our Korean guides who we have been working with for many years now actually worked in building this highway when at university. It is always extremely interesting to hear what guides have to say about their own experiences and about life in North Korea by listening to their own personal experiences. With no doubt this helps us make the most out of the trip. Having known the guides for several years after going to the DPRK so frequently has allowed us to create very close relationships with them. This combined with our small sized groups allows our travellers to have more of a personal relation with our guides. Many of our travellers send us messages and pictures for their guides after their trip to DPRK.
- Chongrangri Cooperative Farm - farmers work and live here. Learn about the different farming systems in Korea and have a look around this farm where there are fields, greenhouses, a kindergarten and a nursery.
- West Sea Barrage - 8 km long structure that divides the West Sea of Korea and the Taedong River. It is a source of national pride in North Korea
AM
- Lunch: Nampo
- Kangso Mineral Water Bottling Factory - see how a Korean business operates. Free samples of this fresh water are also available
- Drive back to Pyongyang
- Munsu Water Park - chance to relax and enjoy and afternoon of slides and fun with local! If you would like to swim the cost is 10 Euros.
- Dinner - Circus restaurant, Pyongyang
Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Day 2 - April 15 (Wednesday) National Holiday: 108th Birthday of President Kim Il Sung
This is one of the most important dates in the DPRK calendar.
- Kumsusan Memorial Palace of the Sun - where the Leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il remain in state. This is a sacred place in the DPRK and we kindly ask you to wear your smartest clothes when going. This is one of the highlights of the Kim Il Sung Birthday Tour.
- Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery - bronze busts of martyrs of the anti-Japanese occupation movement
PM
- Picnic lunch: Moran Park, chance to mingle with locals
- Walk by Moran Park - nothing like an afternoon promenade by the park where thousands of locals sing, dance, drink and enjoy a picnic on one of the major days in the DPRK calendar. Do expect to be asked by locals to join them in the drinking and dancing!
- Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia Flower Exhibition - literally thousands of Koreans will be here today seeing the flower stands presented by different work units to the leaders. The centre consists of two floors and it will be literally packed. You will be able to see of course the flowers presented by KTG!
- Party Foundation Monument - 50 metre tall hammer, sickle and brush dedicated to the founding of the Korean Workers' Party
- Expected Mass dances - thousands of students and workers dance in a synchronised way. Feel free to join in the fun! Please note that these are just confirmed on the same day.
- Possible optional activities include going to the Acrobatic Circus or seeing the Orchestra (entrance fee is 20 Euros). These will be confirmed once in Pyongyang.
- Dinner - Local restaurant, Pyongyang
- Evening Funfair (optional) - you can go on the rides if you like (these cost from 1.5 Euros to 5 Euros) but the main reason we arrange a visit here is to be able to see and join in with hundreds of Koreans, both children and adults. The entrance fee to the park is 2 Euros per person.
- Firework Display - we expect these to be held at around 8 pm. We will have confirmaiton once in Pyongyang if these will be held.
Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Day 7 - April 16 (Thursday)
AM
- Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
- 10.25 am train to China - please contact us if interested in flying out.
PM
- After crossing the Yalu River by train into China we will arrive in Dandong China, where we will get off the train and have a one hour break before continuing to Beijing. We will have the chance to see the giant statue of Mao Ze Dong.
Day 8 - April 17 (Friday)
AM
- Arrival at the Beijing train station. The expected arrival time is 8.40 am
Please go to our DPRK Tourism section to see more information on other tours that we offer other than our Kim Il Sung Birthday & Pyongyang Marathon Tour.
