Global InformationMangyongdae Funfair information
| Location | Mangyongdae-guyok, North Korea |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°0′25.41″N 125°39′4.24″E / 39.0070583°N 125.6511778°E |
| Opened | April 15, 1982[1] |
| Operating season | Year-round |
The Mangyongdae Funfair (Korean: 만경대유희장) is an amusement park located in Mangyongdae-guyok, 12 kilometres from Pyongyang, North Korea. It has an area of 70 hectares including a funfair and wading pool. In autumn 2011 the funfair was reported to have little or no Korean patronage.[2] It has been alleged that there is a lack of genuine customers with many visitors being bussed in to the attraction.[3] It had a roller coaster, which, while operational, was in poor repair. There is a merry-go-round and a ridable miniature railway.[citation needed]
The dismal atmosphere and run-down condition of the funfair were severely criticized by Kim Jong-un, during an inspection in May 2012.[4] Kim Jong-un ordered Choe Ryong-hae, Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, and others, to spruce up the funfair and bring it into compliance with the requirements of the Sŏn'gun era.[5] Kim Jong-un used the occasion to emphasize the requirement that officials have the spirit of serving the people and must abandon outdated ideological points of view and outmoded work-styles.[6]
- ^ "Kim Jong Un Visits Mangyongdae Amusement Park as Land Management Conference Held « North Korea Leadership Watch". Nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com. 2012-05-09. Archived from the original on 2015-01-11. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
- ^ Farag, Maryse (2016-04-28). "Is this the world's most depressing theme park?". The Sun. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "The most depressing theme park ever". November 2011.
- ^ Farag, Maryse (2016-04-28). "Is this the world's most depressing theme park?". The Sun. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ Sŏn'gun, the military first policy may be relevant in this context, as may assignment of a senior military officer to the task of sprucing the funfair up because the park is used, or, at least, has been used for recreation by members of the Korean People's Army and their families. Mangyongdae – The Last Funfair in North Korea, accessed May 9, 2012
- ^ "Kim Jong Un Scolds Mangyongdae Funfair Staff". NK News. Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). May 9, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2012.