Grand People's Study House



The Grand People's Study House is a library and educational institution situated in central Pyongyang, situated on Kim Il-Sung Square. Built in 1982, the Study House is one of the most famous buildings in North Korea due to its traditional Korean style architecture and its feature as a backdrop in North Korean military parades. It is therefore an essential tool in the marketing of the country to foreign media and visitors.



The building consists of an enormous library which is claimed can host up to 30 million books, including that of foreign language books and materials. It also hosts numerous lecture theatres, classrooms and study rooms alike, some equipped with computers. Numerous "courses" are ran at the peoples study house including the teaching of English, Chinese, German and Russian. It is a place where foreigners can meet and interact with North Koreans studying.<



The institution's numerous floors are serviced by an elevator with a traditional style elevator operator lady standing on the inside. Notably, there is a meter measuring the flow of electricity present in the elevator and if it drops too low, it cannot be used.