Kim Il sung Stadium

History

Kim Il-sung Stadium was originally built as the Girimri Stadium (기림리공설운동장) in 1926. This stadium held the annual Kyung-Pyong Football Match between Kyungsung FC and Pyongyang FC during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

After the division of Korea, it was used as a venue for speeches by politicians, and it was the site of Kim Il-sung's first speech after returning from exile on 14 October, 1945. Most of the stadium was destroyed during the 1950-1953 Korean War, mostly by U.S. aerial bombing of the capital city during those years. Rebuilt in 1969, it was then called Moranbong Stadium, but in April 1982 it was renovated and renamed in honour of Kim Il-sung. The stadium's capacity is 50,000. It is used mainly for football matches, and hosted the mass games until the 1990s (now held in Rungnado May Day Stadium).

Present day

Today, the Kim Il-sung stadium is used as the home ground for the North Korea national football team, the North Korea women's national football team and the Pyongyang City Sports Group.

In 2008, on two occasions, a 2010 World Cup qualifying match between the two countries, due to be played in Pyongyang, had to be moved to Shanghai when authorities in the North refused to allow the South Korean national anthem to be played in Kim Il-sung Stadium, or the flag of South Korea to be flown, as North and South Korea have never granted each other formal diplomatic recognition.

The start and finish of the annual Pyongyang Marathon occurs at Kim Il-sung Stadium.