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North Korea's capital city of Pyongyang

Images of one of the most isolated capitals in the world - in this gallery by TASS
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One of Pyongyang's many historic names is Ryugyong, or "capital of willows". Photo: bronze statues of North Korean late leader Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il at Mansu Hill, in Pyongyang
© AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin
According to historians, Pyongyang is the oldest city in North Korea. It was founded in 1122. Photo: A monument of Kim Il Sung at Mansu Hill
© ITAR-TASS/Boris Kavashkin
Pyongyang literally means Flat Land in Korean. Photo: Square in front of Kumsusan Palace of the Sun
© ITAR-TASS/Boris Kavashkin
Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, or the mausoleum of Kim Il Sung, is one of the landmarks in the city. Photo: People in front of Kumsusan Palace of the Sun
© ITAR-TASS/Boris Kavashkin
Today, Pyongyang is the main commercial, industrial, cultural and administrative center of North Korea. Photo: portrait of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on a street corner in Pyongyang
© AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
According to the World Bank, the population of Pyongyang is 2.5 million people. Photo: Folk dancing held in front of the Monument to Party Founding in Pyongyang
© AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan
Kim Il-sung Square is the main city square in the center of Pyongyang, and is named after the country's founding leader, Kim Il-sung. Photo: portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Kim Il Sung Square
© AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
North Korean workers in front of a replica of the Grand People's Study House at the Pyongyang Folk Park. The park spans Korean history from prehistoric to modern times
© AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Visitors walking past replicas of the Juche Tower, an ancient pagoda and statue of the Chollima, a mythical winged horse at the Pyongyang Folk Park
© AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
105-story pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel is the tallest building in Pyongyang. Hotel's construction was finished in 2013
© AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
The second tallest building in Pyongyang is the Tower of the Juche Idea. Inside the 170-meters obelisk, there's a lift to a viewing point on the top. Photo: tour guide standing on the top of the Tower of Juche Idea
© AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
Pyongyang Metro is one of the deepest and cheapest subway systems in the world
© AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
Pyongyang is divided into 19 districts and one county. Majority of North Koreans live in high-rise apartments in Pyongyang
© AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
Taking into account the complete isolation of the country from the rest of the world, tourism is poorly developed in Pyongyang. Tourists mostly come from China. Photo: a bus stop in Pyongyang
© AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin
Pyongyang was completely redesigned since the Korean War (1950–53). Photo: North Korean students practicing Taekwondo at the Moranbong or Moran Hill in Pyongyang
© AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
Tower with words "Our great comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jung Il will always be with us" near a residential complex which is lit at night in Pyongyang, North Korea
© AP Photo/Vincent Yu

On August 24, 1945 Soviet troops took control of Pyongyang liberating Korea from Imperial Japanese occupation during the final stage of the World War II. According to historians, Pyongyang which was founded in 1122, is the oldest city in North Korea. Today, Pyongyang is the main commercial, industrial, cultural and administrative center of the country. Take a look inside North Korea's capital city, one of the most isolated capitals in the world in this gallery by TASS

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