It, called Friendship Tower, was erected to serve as a reminder of Chinese People's Volunteers who died heroes in the Korean war (1950-1953) and add luster to the DPRK-China friendship.

The tower was built in October Juche 48 (1959) under the care of President Kim Il Sung and rebuilt on an expansion basis in 1984 under the guidance of Kim Jong Il.

The 30-meter-high tower, covering over 120 000 square meters, consists of three parts -- foundation, body and five-pointed star on the top.

It is made up of 1 025 trimmed natural granite and marble pieces symbolizing October 25, the anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers' entry into the Korean war.

Seen in the front of the tower are gilt letters reading "Friendship Tower" and an inscription telling the friendship between the Korean and Chinese peoples.

In either side of the tower there are sculptures in relief portraying the DPRK-China friendship and inside the tower there are a list of the Chinese martyrs and oil paintings.

The list contains 308 martyrs, including Mao Anying, son of Mao Zedong, Huang Jieguang and Qiu Shogun.

A lot of people have visited the Friendship Tower on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers' entry into the Korean war.