Photo from dr_colossus★
A flagpole or flagstaff is a wooden or metallic pole used to hoist a flag at a commanding height so that you can see it from a distance. The height of flagpoles has remained a matter of making records and the host of facts about the complex support structure needed to uphold them will appear rather interesting to you.
However, the ‘tall’ claim made by reportedly the tallest flagpole of the world located in Kijong-dong, near Panmunjeom, North Korea has not been accepted unanimously. It has its close contender in the Aqaba Flagpole in Jordan (132m; 433ft) that remains the greatest freestanding flagpole of the world. This record has yet been broken by the 133m (436ft) tall Ashgabat Flagpole in Turkmenistan.
Photo from cherynf
The National Flag Square in Azerbaijan is all set to reach the height of 162m (531ft) very soon. Weighing 600 kilograms and measuring 230×330 feet (70×100 meters), the Brazilian national flag flown in the Square of the Three Powers in Brasilia and Raghadan Flagpole in Amman with 126 meters (410 ft) remain in the race for height.
Photo from Lucaskt
However, the ‘Propaganda Village’ flagpole of Kijong-dong, North Korea has the most interesting tale behind it and performs a curious function. The extension of this 160 m tall pole, weighing 600 lbs and bearing a North Korean flag of 31 m was an answer from North Korea to South Korea, when the latter had posed a challenge by increasing the height of its existing flagpole at Daeseong-dong by 100 meters.
It was difficult to put up such a heavy flagpole directly on the ground since it could hardly sustain its weight when wet. Hence, this gigantic pole is set upon a tower. Still the flag is immediately taken down during rains.
Photo from *christopher*
Photo from *christopher*
Kijong-dong or ‘Propaganda Village’ derives its name by broadcasting messages on loudspeakers proclaiming Kim Jong iI the best leader in the world and welcoming people to North Korea. The ‘village’ is not really what you understand by the word in general. Many say the buildings flanking the three-story high flagpole are empty structures with hollow windows and a semblance of domestic life is put up by the caretakers who turn the lights on and off.
Photo from US Army Korea – IMCOM’s photostream
Location wise, Kijong-dong is in Panmun-gun that is North Korean region on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The fun factor is that though the broadcastings have ceased, the name ‘Propaganda Village’ has remained the same. The North Korean version of this name is ‘Paradise’ or ‘Peace’ and that speaks more than enough on the separatist tendencies of the two Koreas.
Photo from Lucaskt
The only real village situated 1.8 kilometers to the south of the DMZ in the South Korean area is Daeseong-dong. It is inhabited by about 200 farmers who were determined to stick to their properties despite its being in the DMZ. However, if you get hold of any North Korean guidebook, it will tell you that the so-called Propaganda Village has 200 households belonging to the Panmun Cooperative Farm.
You may be surprised to read that this vacant village is claimed to have a kindergarten, a senior middle school, a day care center and a general hospital. South Korea refuses to buy these stories and confirms that there are no field workers and building workers but military. Whether you see residents or not, you can easily catch sight of the 160 meters tall flagpole right at the gate of Kijong-dong.
Photo from combatcrayola
