Lenin and Karl Marx statues removed from North Korea's Kim Il-sung Square

The larger-than-life portraits of Lenin and Karl Marx that once dominated Kim Il-sung Square have been removed, suggesting a change of direction within North Korea.

Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang Photo: AP

By Julian Ryall, Tokyo
12:34AM BST 15 Oct 2012

The NKNews web site, which monitors developments in the secretive state, has reported that the austere images of two of the founding fathers of communism were first taken down in the summer but have never been replaced.

Lenin and Marx had glared out over the square - used for military march-pasts and mass rallies in support of the regime - for decades, despite the Workers' Party of Korea revising its charter in 1980 to replace their concepts with those of Kim Il-sung.

Communism has been replaced by the home-grown philosophy summed up as "juche," meaning the spirit of self-reliance.

Despite deviating from the teachings of Marx and Lenin, the pictures had remained.

NKNews said there are no indications as to why Marx and Lenin are being air-brushed out of North Korean history at this time, although it does tie in with other changes that have been noticed in the North.


Kim Jong-un, the 29-year-old leader of the nation, is reportedly behind efforts to improve the lives of ordinary people and has made careful moves to shift control away from the all-powerful military.

Analysts believe that he is also trying to win the support of the public by making himself more accessible and visible in everyday life. Since he assumed power in December last year, he has publicly chastised the operators of a shabby theme park, staged a television show with Disney characters and married an attractive pop singer.

He is also likely to have been behind the decision to replace another portrait in Kim Il-sung Square - of his grandfather wearing a fierce scowl - with one of a smiling and more benevolent-looking picture of the founder of the nation.