Korean Workers' Party Headquarters, Cheorwon

On a low rise at the edge of the Cheorwon plain stands a three-storey concrete shell with every window blown out. The Korean Workers' Party Headquarters was built by the North Korean ruling party after liberation, and when the Korean War flattened the rest of Cheorwon town, only its skeleton survived. Standing in front of walls still pitted by shells and bullets makes the division of Korea feel very real.

History: Cheorwon north of the 38th parallel

After 1945 Cheorwon lay north of the 38th parallel under North Korean rule, and for a time it was the seat of the North's Gangwon provincial government. The party built this three-storey headquarters in Gwanjeon-ri in 1946. Each village was made to hand over 200 sacks of rice and supply forced labour and equipment, and only party members are said to have worked on the interior to keep it secret.

The building controlled Cheorwon, Gimhwa, Pyonggang and Pocheon, and it was also where many people were imprisoned, tortured and killed. After the war, human bones, live ammunition and wire were found in its air-raid shelter.

Cheorwon was one of the deadliest battlefields of the war and almost every building in town was destroyed. Built solidly of reinforced concrete and brick, the headquarters survived with its ceilings caved in. When the armistice left Cheorwon in the South, the ruin sat for decades inside the civilian control zone, which spared it from demolition; once restrictions were eased in the 1990s it became a place for visitors. It is National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 22; sources differ on whether it was registered in 2001 or 2002.

What to see

• The facade: the symmetrical front and the high base on the hill were designed to project authority. The central portico columns and steps show how it once looked.
• Scars of war: shell and bullet marks cover the outer walls. Walk round the back to see the collapsed floors and bare frame more clearly.
• In popular culture: Seo Taiji and Boys shot the video for "Dreaming of Balhae" here, and the ruin is used as a stage for concerts and events. In autumn 2026 a night-time media art festival projected images onto its walls.

Combine with

• Cheorwon History and Culture Park: across the road, a recreation of the thriving 1930s Cheorwon town centre based on old photographs. Entry and parking are free; closed Tuesdays.
• Soisan Monorail: runs from the park's Cheorwon Station up to near the Soisan observatory, with views over the Cheorwon plain and White Horse Hill. Adults KRW 7,000; March–November 09:00–18:00 (last boarding 16:55).

Good to know

• In the 1930s Cheorwon was one of the three largest towns in Gangwon, with more than 80,000 people, a county office, police station, cinema, railway station, schools and banks. Almost all of it vanished in the war.
• Records indicate the building went up in early 1946, before the Workers' Party of North Korea was formally founded, so its original purpose is not entirely clear.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: the ruin is open at all times, every day, and free. There is parking and toilets. Information: 033-450-5520.
• How you see it: a low fence runs round the building, so you mostly view it from outside. Walk all the way round, front and back.
• Time needed: 20–30 minutes for the ruin alone, half a day with the history park and Soisan.
• Getting there: it lies at the northern end of Cheorwon and is hard to reach by public transport; a car is much easier.
• Combine with: Goseokjeong on the Hantan River, about 11 km southeast, for a full day in Cheorwon.