The Wonsan Revolutionary Site, the old Wonsan Railway Station, was opened in August 1914 as a modest hub used for cargo and passengers unlike any other train station.
However, despite its modest origins, the significance of Wonsan Railway Station changed significantly when in 1945, Kim Il Sung, later to become North Korea’s founder, used this train station en route back to Pyongyang after successfully liberating the country from the Japanese.
Wonsan Train Station was subsequently destroyed in the Korean War. However, due to its importance in being the first major city Kim Il Sung visited after liberation, it was reconstructed in 1975 into what is now known as Wonsan Revolutionary Site to commemorate his transit.
The museum opens to the train waiting area with wooden benches, and the ticketing office with the original station timetable on display. An adjacent room contains a replica of the steam train and the third-class carriage that Kim Il Sung took from Wonsan to Pyongyang. The name on the station building reads ‘Wonsan’ in Kanji characters which was used by the Japanese is kept in keeping with colonial times.
Outside the station is a stone tablet, a monument often seen at revolutionary sites across North Korea, with words written by Kim Il Sung, and is topped with the design of the sacred Mt. Paektu.
Nearby is a replica of the Tongyang Guesthouse where Kim Il Sung stayed on September 18-20, 1945. The interior and exterior designs of the guesthouse are in Japanese style.