Unification Observatory

 


Unification Observatory


 The Unification Observatory is located on beautiful Mt. Odusan where
the Hangang River from the south meets the Imjin-gang River from the north.  It is a stone building with five floors and a basement (total floor space: 2,600 pyong) built on a 6,500-pyong lot.
It opened on September 8, 1992. From the round observation deck, 140 meters above sea level, one can see Mt. Songaksan in Kaesong in North Korea and the 63 Building in Seoul to the south. The exhibition halls on
the first and second floors display various items from North Korea, as well
as photos showing the past and present status of South-North Korean relations and prospects for a reunited Korean Peninsula.
There are also a projection room, a large map and a shop selling goods made in North Korea. In the Unification Room visitors are provided with an opportunity to express and display their desires for unification by writing or drawing. Mangbaedan Altar has been erected for people who left their homes and families in North Korea, so that they could come here to hold memorial services for their ancestors on Chusok and New Year's Day. Other attractions are the Reunification Prayer Drum (2 meters in diameter and weighing 600 kg), and a statue of Cho Man-shik, one of the principal figures in Korea's Independence Movement.