Destination: Nodongdangsa (Office of the former Worker’s Party AKA North Korean commies) (Gangwon-do)
AND now, for something a bit off the tourist trail… You know, like most everywhere I’m going these days. Nodongdangsa (노동당사) is located in extreme northern Gangwon-do, and was the house of North Korea’s Labor party. While it harkens back to a day when Korea was unified, the country wasn’t exactly at its best. Constructed in 1946, this is that small sliver of time between World War II and the Korean War. While there’s a few other remnants from the Korean War-era, getting here – and getting around – requires a lot of time.
Before there were road signs, there were stone pillars indicating direction. A number of the bullet holes can still be seen today. For reference, a nearby sign says Pyeongyang (in North Korea) is 215.1 km away, while a few other destinations are essentially relegated to antiquity.
I couldn’t tell you how this jangseung (wooden totem pole / village guardian) was damaged, but it seems appropriate that nearly half the face is missing.
While people could have walked through the building in the past, the paths were roped off during our visit. The building’s survived a lot, although there are a lot of rather prominent support beams holding it together:
On one hand, it’s interesting to see the building being preserved – there are few other Soviet-style buildings around Korea, and it’s not like anything would be taking the building’s place. This far up north, there are few people and fewer buildings – but some amazing opportunities for astronomical photography.
Some carvings in the walls.
The site of the Cheorwon Police Office, and an odd story. Constructed before 1937, the police office was first used by the Japanese as a headquarters for the county. After the Japanese surrendered, the Soviet Army moved right in and used the building as their headquarters. When the Soviets withdrew, the North Koreans used the building as an internal affairs office (read: really scary place). The building somehow survived the war, yet was completely demolished afterwards. Perhaps the memory of the North’s ‘internal affairs’ office prompted the demolition of an otherwise historical place.
You’ll probably want to get here on a guided tour or in a car – by public transportation it’s a pain in the rear to get around. There’s a bunch of other stuff to see, as the Marmot himself points out, although the car / tour is required for some sights. If you’re a fan of war memorials or historical points of interest, there’s plenty to go around. It’s unusual, not overly weird, and definitely out of the way.
Ratings (out of 5 taeguks - How do I rate destinations?):
Ease to arrive:
Foreigner-friendly:
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Worth the visit:
Directions: this will take some time to reach. Take line 1 ALL THE WAY UP to Soyosan station. Note that only about 1 of every 3 or 4 trains go all the way up north – keep heading north until you get there. Once at Soyosan station, you have a choice – bus or train. For the former, go out Soyosan’s only exit and cross the street for bus 39-2. Stay on the bus to its terminus, Sintan-ri station. For the latter, transfer from the subway to the Gyeongwon line, an old-school commuter line that goes even further north. The train leaves Soyosan at 8:07am, 9:47, 11:47, 1:47pm, 3:47, 5:17, 6:47, 8:17, and 9:47 – each one takes about 40 minutes.
Get off at the terminus, Sintan-ri station. Whether you took the bus or train here, you’ll need to catch bus 39-3 from Sintan-ri station to Nodongdangsa – it nicely coincides with the train schedule (from Sintan-ri station at 6:30, 7:40, 8:50, 10:30, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, and 9:00pm). Nodongdangsa is about a 20 minute bus ride, and you’ll see it as the bus makes a sharp right turn.
Admission: free
Hours: sunrise – sunset
Address: Gangwon-do Cheorwon-gun Cheorwon-eup Gwanjeon-ri
Phone number: 033-450-5558
Website: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264486 (English and Korean) or http://tour.cwg.go.kr/tour/ (Korean only)
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