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.
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