Fake Cities!

I know that I have always dreamed about fake, imaginary cities and I have finally found one. It is in North Korea and it is called Kijong-Dong.

Kijong-Dong, also known as the Peace Village, is located in a demilitarized zone or a DMZ between North and South Korea that was set up during the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War.

The North Korean government says that Kijong-Dong is a 200-family collective farm with many amenities catered toward those families, like a hospital and multiple schools. But, the village is actually a fake! Kijong-Dong was set up as a form of propaganda to draw South Koreans defectors into North Korea, but also to board soldiers who were manning the many artillery units on the border between the two countries.

The new city was built to be THE ideal place, so the multi-story buildings are all bright and clean with blue roofs, it has electricity, and incredibly wide sidewalks. The city can be seen directly from the DMZ border, especially with the large flag pole boasting the 2nd largest flag in the world.

The catch? Nobody lives there! The buildings have no windows and no interior rooms. The lights of the city are on timers. And the people who bustle around in the streets? Actors and caretakers who work to keep the appearance of a bustling metropolis.

While you cannot access the actual city, you can see it from the DMZ border when you take a tour. Tour guides will call it the “Propaganda City.”

Happy Travels!