The actual news coming from Kim Jong Un's visit to a new amusement park in Pyongyang was that he made public his wife of three years, but let's not ignore the other interesting part of the story: North Korea has a new amusement park—and it looks like fun! It's a vast improvement over the Mangyondae fun fair, which looks like a rusty, haunted death trap straight out of Scooby-Doo in a Vice photo series from last October (the North Korean national website describes it as the "largest fun fair in the country," built in 1982). The shiny new park on Runga Island looks like a modern paradise. Plus, it's got a mini golf course, wading pools, rides, water slides, volleyball courts, and a dolphinarium, according to the blog North Korea Leadership Watch, which has one of the most thorough accounts of Kim's visit. The dolphin show sounds especially entertaining: "At Rungna Island, KJU, his wife and their entourage 'enjoyed such feats of dolphins dancing in rotation, moving backward, jumping out and touching ball in the air.' "

Let's have a look at the new People's Pleasure Ground, shall we?

The water slide and wading pool look especially inviting in this screenshot from a Korean Central Television broadcast:

The mini golf course obstacles are simple but effective (KCNA via North Korea Leadership Watch):

Looks like there's already a line for the water slide (via AP):

The dolphin show takes place inside, apparently, in this still from KCTV:

The decorations are a nice touch (via AP):

The centerpiece, to us, looks like this rollercoaster, which Kim rode in as dignified a manner as possible, strapped in in his suit (via AP):

For so much more, check out this video from Korean Central Television. It's in Korean and basically consists of a series of still photos, but you can scroll through easily and get a much closer look at North Korea's newest amusement park.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at amartin at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Adam Martin