Qualla: Monument to Party Founding

Monument to Party Founding: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Michael Day, CC BY 2.0. Three clenched fists rise fifty meters above the banks of the Taedong River, each gripping a different tool: a hammer for the workers, a sickle for the farmers, a calligraphy brush for the intellectuals. The combination is unique to North Korea. Where the Soviet Union used the hammer and sickle alone, the Workers' Party of Korea added the brush -- acknowledging, at least symbolically, that the revolution needed minds as well as hands. The Monument to Party Founding, completed on October 10, 1995, turns this three-part emblem into architecture, and the result is one of the most visually striking political monuments in the world.

Image: Michael Day | CC BY 2.0

Monument to Party Founding: Fifty Meters for Fifty Years

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nicor, CC BY-SA 3.0. Every dimension carries meaning. The monument rises to exactly 50 meters, marking the 50th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea's founding. The circular foundation measures 70 meters in diameter, representing the party's roughly 70-year history stretching back to the Down-W...

Image: Nicor | CC BY-SA 3.0

Monument to Party Founding: Granite Fists and Bronze Histories

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Uwe Brodrecht, CC BY-SA 2.0. The monument is built from granite, with bronze reliefs set into a belt that encircles the three rising fists. These reliefs tell the party's story in three chapters: its historical roots, the unity of the people under its leadership, and its vision of a progressive future. The o...

Image: Uwe Brodrecht | CC BY-SA 2.0

Monument to Party Founding: The Currency of Stone

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Uwe Brodrecht, CC BY-SA 2.0. The Monument to Party Founding has appeared on North Korean postage stamps in 1995 and 2005, and graces the 50-won banknote -- its image circulating through the economy it commemorates. A previous monument to the party's founding had been erected on October 10, 1975, twenty years...

Image: Uwe Brodrecht | CC BY-SA 2.0