The stadium is a historic place where President Kim Il Sung had the first meeting with the people and made a speech upon his triumphal return home on October 14, Juche 34 (1945) after he achieved the historic cause of national liberation. At that time, it was the Pyongyang public playground.

On the initiative of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and under his energetic guidance, the stadium was splendidly remodeled into a monumental edifice in the era of the Workers' Party and a sports seat for the people.

When visiting the stadium in April 2015, he said that it is a stadium bearing the august name of the President and a significant unit associated with the immortal feats of the great leaders. And he gave an instruction on remodeling it as required by the new century.

He indicated the orientation and ways for constructing the stadium in a magnificent and modern way on several occasions and organized a building force for completing its construction on the highest level as soon as possible. He also examined a number of miniatures and blueprints for the stadium and settled all the problems arising in its remodeling construction.

As a result, the stadium turned into a place for national politico-cultural events and international and domestic sports events and into a base for diverse sporting and cultural activities of working citizens and schoolchildren.

After its remodeling in October 2016, the stadium has hosted DPRK premier football league matches, Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers, AFC Cup and other sports games.