Hundreds of feet beneath the world's most insular capital city lies a network of cavernous rooms, adorned with stone pillars and grandiose mosaics. The platform of Puhoong Station, one of the showpiece stations build in the 1980s. Metro of Pyongyang Asia / North Korea. For the first time, Pyongyang’s subway system is open to tourists. Photos from inside show chandeliers, commemorative plaques, and elaborate murals. North Korean women ride on a subway train in Pyongyang, North Korea, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. Inside North Korea's Subway System. Pyongyang Metro is the subway rapid transit network serving North Korea’s Capital Pyongyang. By Simon Osborne. And as with every other public and private space throughout the country, portraits of past leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il look down from the ends of each car, smiling and ever-present.The photo gallery above offers a look inside the Pyongyang Metro system during a recent Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our The entrance to the Puhoong station, under the watchful eye of a guard. Its leader, Kim Jong-un, is working hard to keep outside influences at bay. Photo: Jeffrey Marlow. The subterranean stations are dimly lit, with every other bulb illuminated, likely to save limited power supplies. Photo: Aaron Mertz. last December said Pyongyangites were “anticipating further changes” after the Kaeson and Thongil Station renewals, but this may have only referred to the latest two revealed this week. Under the watchful eyes of North Korea's past leaders.

Passengers line up to purchase tickets. How long does it take to get into the deepest subway system in the world? Commuting is the dominant expression of public life in North Korea, a country with few restaurants and stores, and even fewer civic gatherings. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google The NK Pro, NK News and KCNA Watch websites do not support private mode or incognito browsing.North Korean media unveils new renovations at two Pyongyang subway stationsRenewal of interchange between DPRK capital's only two subway lines follows work on two other stations last yearTwo Pyongyang metro stations were recently reopened following large-scale renovations, North Korea’s top newspaper the over the weekend, following upgrades to two other stations last year.The two newly-renovated stations, Jonsung and Jonu, are located close together at the entrance to Ryomyong Street in the city’s northeast, and represent the only direct transfer point between A push to modernize Pyongyang’s ageing metro system began with Kaeson Station near the Arch of Triumph 2019, and Thongil Station near Mansudae Hill later in the year.These and the newly-reopened Jonu Station are on the Chollima Line, while Jonsung Station is the first to have received such upgrades on the Hyoksin Line.Images released by the travel company Koryo Tours upon Kaeson Station’s opening in May last year revealed walls, flooring, ceiling decorations, and lights had been replaced with colorful or more modern fittings.New TVs were also installed, a toy shop and book stall were remodeled, and the station’s street-level exterior was redone.Similar upgrades appear to have been made to the other three stations, too, with each following a specific theme to “match their names,” according to the June 13State media said that Thongil Station’s new interior decorations take after its name, which means “unification,” and that riders while walking through the station “hardened their resolve to work harder to advance the day of a unified fatherland.”Decorations and even music played over loudspeakers at Jonsung — which like Kaeson also means “victory” or “triumph” — are themed around the “heroes” of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to the article.Lastly, Jonu (meaning “comrade-in-arms”) Station’s interior, including the underground transfer hall, is said to be themed around recent construction projects, showing off flashy photographs of Samjiyon, the Jungphyong Vegetable Greenhouse Farm, the Yangdok Hot Springs Resort, and others.The modernization push, characterized in the article as “restoring the youth of the Pyongyang underground,” is being done to improve the “cultural sentimental life” of the people and highlights leader Kim Jong Un’s and his predecessors’ “love of the people.” article of further plans for remodeling other stations.

Mosaics and metallic reliefs extolling the virtues of North Korean workers and landscapes line the walls.The subway cars were acquired from Germany, and despite a green and red makeover, the remnant graffiti scratched into windows and paneling belies their past lives. The graffiti visible on the window is a remnant from the car's former life in East Germany. In this Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019 photo, people ride on a tram with red stars stenciled across its side in Pyongyang, North Korea. Two Pyongyang metro stations were recently reopened following large-scale renovations, North Korea’s top newspaper the Rodong Sinmun reported over the weekend, following upgrades to two other stations last year. Pyongyang is upgrading its overcrowded mass transit system with brand new subway cars, trams and buses in a campaign meant to show leader Kim Jong Un is raising the country's standard of living. Passengers await departure. The two newly-renovated stations, Jonsung and Jonu, are located close together at the entrance to Ryomyong Street in the city’s northeast, and represent the only direct […] On a recent Thursday morning, hundreds of passengers (Lunch breakers? In 1994, North Korea published an English-language guide to Pyongyang Metro, now available from gift shops and museums. 16 stations are currently connected by this line and all of them are underground. All jobs should begin by 10 AM) rode the #1 Chollima line through central Pyongyang.The underground stations are ornate but dimly lit: patrons squint to read posted newspapers while patriotic music echoes faintly across the stone floor. by top North Korean official and premier of the Cabinet Kim Jae Ryong to “learn[] about the operation of the Pyongyang Metro” was related to the renovations. We instead recommend using Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.Microsoft ceased supporting IE 10 and older in 2016.In addition, Microsoft cyber-security chief Chris Jackson has been urging users to stop using the browser since February 2019.Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reportingThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reportingJoin the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reportingPlease enter your username or email address. Conscripts? North Korea is known as one of the most closed and restrictive countries in the world. On the streets, cyclists and pedestrians far outnumber cars, as people move in stark silence between their residence and place of work.The eerie silence and sense of purposeful movement extend underground. At a depth of over 100 meters, the Pyongyang Metro is likely one of the world's deepest. Internet Explorer is not compatible with this website. Government produced newspapers are displayed at the stations.