Kim Il-sung Square is the political and ceremonial heart of Pyongyang — a vast paved expanse on the west bank of the Taedong River, flanked by the Grand People's Study House (the national library) on one side and the Korean Art Gallery and History Museum on the other. This is where the great military parades take place on state anniversaries, where citizens attend mandatory political rallies, and where tour groups invariably begin their first morning in the city.
The scale of the square only becomes apparent on foot: the buildings around it are massive, but it still takes several minutes to cross. The setting — with the Taedong River and Juche Tower visible to the east, and the study house's tiered roof rising to the north — creates an imposing and genuinely distinctive urban composition. Visiting tourists are free to walk the square; photography is generally permitted but follow your guide's cues on what to photograph.