If you ever find yourself in Pyongyang on a Sunday morning, you’ll notice something strange. The city, usually buzzing with rhythmic music and people rushing to work, feels different near the Taedong River. Hundreds of people—men in dark suits and women in colorful choson-ot dresses—are lining up in total silence. They aren’t waiting for a bus. They are heading to the Kim Jong Il mausoleum, officially known as the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
Honestly, calling it a "mausoleum" is your first mistake.
To the locals, this is a sacred shrine. A "holy of holies." If you use the word mausoleum while talking to a North Korean guide, you’ll likely get a polite but very firm correction. They call it a palace. Specifically, the palace where their leaders "lie in state." It is the most heavily guarded, strictly regulated, and expensive building in the entire country.
The $900 Million Transformation
It wasn’t always a tomb. Back in 1976, this massive neoclassical structure was the Kumsusan Assembly Hall. It was Kim Il Sung's home and office. When he died in 1994, his son, Kim Jong Il, didn’t just bury him. He spent an estimated $100 million to $900 million turning the residence into a permanent memorial.
Think about that for a second. That kind of money spent on a building while the country was facing a devastating famine. It’s a staggering contrast that historians like Andrei Lankov have pointed out for years.
When Kim Jong Il himself passed away in 2011, the palace closed its doors for a year. It underwent another massive renovation to make room for him. It reopened in late 2012, now housing both the father and the son. Today, it stands as the largest mausoleum in the world dedicated to Communist leaders—dwarfing the ones for Lenin in Moscow or Mao in Beijing.
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What’s Actually Inside?
You don't just walk in. You travel.
The journey into the heart of the Kim Jong Il mausoleum starts with a series of travelators (moving walkways) that stretch for nearly a kilometer. You aren't allowed to walk on them. You just stand there. Somber, orchestral music pipes through the speakers while hundreds of portraits of the leaders line the walls.
Then comes the "cleaning." Before you enter the main chambers, you pass through a security check that makes airport TSA look like a joke. Then, you step through an industrial air blower. It's basically a giant hairdryer that blasts every speck of dust off your clothes.
The goal? Total purity.
Meeting the General
When you finally reach the room where Kim Jong Il lies, the atmosphere shifts. The room is massive, dark, and bathed in a dim, eerie red light. In the center, inside a temperature-controlled glass sarcophagus, is the man himself.
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He is dressed in his signature khaki tunic. His body is preserved with such precision that it almost looks wax-like. You’ll notice the locals aren't just looking; many are visibly weeping.
There is a very specific "bowing protocol" here:
- You line up in rows of four.
- You walk to the feet of the body and bow deeply.
- You move to the left side and bow.
- You move to the right side and bow.
- Crucial Rule: You never, ever bow at the head.
The Museum of Toys and Trains
After the somber experience of the bodies, the tour takes a bit of a surreal turn. You enter a series of museum halls that showcase the leaders’ personal belongings.
It’s not just medals and diplomas (though there are thousands of those from universities you’ve probably never heard of). You see the actual Mercedes-Benz limousines they used. You see the boat they sailed.
But the most famous exhibit is the train carriage. This is the actual armored train car where Kim Jong Il reportedly died of a heart attack in 2011. They’ve kept it exactly as it was. You can see his desk, his chair, and even his laptop—a MacBook, oddly enough. Seeing a piece of high-tech Silicon Valley gear sitting in the middle of a North Korean shrine is a "glitch in the matrix" moment for most visitors.
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The Rules (They Aren't Optional)
If you’re thinking about visiting, you can’t just show up in your tourist gear. The Kim Jong Il mausoleum is only open to foreigners on Thursday and Sunday mornings. And the dress code? It’s basically "Sunday Best" or bust.
- Men: You need a tie and a button-down shirt. Blue jeans will get you kicked out before you even reach the gate.
- Women: Modest dresses or smart slacks. Nothing revealing.
- Shoes: They must be clean. There is actually a machine with revolving brushes that scrubs the soles of your shoes as you enter.
- Posture: Keep your hands by your sides. Do not fold your arms. Do not put your hands in your pockets. That’s seen as a sign of massive disrespect.
Basically, if you look like you’re having too much fun or being too casual, your guides will get incredibly nervous. For them, any mistake made by a tourist reflects poorly on them.
Why It Matters Today
The palace isn't just a grave; it's a political tool. By keeping the leaders "alive" in this grand, immortalized state, the current government maintains a sense of continuity. It’s why the Kim Jong Un administration continues to pour resources into the site’s maintenance, even in 2026.
It remains the focal point of North Korean national holidays. On February 16 (Kim Jong Il’s birthday, known as the Day of the Shining Star), the square in front of the palace becomes a sea of military parades and floral tributes.
Actionable Tips for the Curious Traveler
If you are one of the few who actually makes it to Pyongyang, here is how to handle the Kumsusan experience without causing an international incident:
- Prep your clothes early. Most hotels in Pyongyang have a laundry service, but they can be slow. Don’t wait until Saturday night to realize your only dress shirt is wrinkled.
- Empty your pockets. Leave everything on the bus. Cameras, phones, lighters, even chewing gum. If it’s in your pocket, the metal detectors or the pat-down will find it, and it will delay your entire group.
- Hydrate beforehand. The tour takes about two to three hours, and there are no water fountains or bathrooms once you’re inside the security perimeter.
- Master the "Quiet Whisper." You can talk to your guide, but keep it low. No laughter. No jokes. Save the "wow, look at that" for the bus ride back.
- Take the photo outside. You can't take pictures inside, but once you exit back into the massive granite square, you’re usually allowed to take photos of the exterior. Just make sure you don't crop the leaders' portraits out of the frame; that’s a big no-no.