Okryu-gwan
| Okryu-gwan | |
 |
|
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 옥류관 |
| Hancha | 玉流館 |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ongryugwan |
| Literally "Jade Stream Pavilion" | |
Coordinates: 39°1′43″N 125°45′30″E / 39.02861°N 125.75833°E
Okryu-gwan or Okryu Restaurant is a restaurant in Pyongyang, North Korea, founded in 1960. North Korea analyst Andrei Lankov describes it as one of two restaurants—the other being Ch'ongryugwan—which have "defined the culinary life of Pyongyang" since the 1980s, and a "living museum of culinary art". The chief chef is Ra Suk-gyong.
Okryu-gwan is located on the bank of the Taedong River, between Moran Hill and the Okryu Bridge. It is a large building, and can seat up to 2,000 patrons, which Lankov described as reflecting "a penchant for large-scale eateries ... common to all Communist regimes". The building is distinguished by its traditional architecture and curved green roofs. The building is divided into a main area and two wings, with a total floor area of 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft). The stairs are made of granite from Ryonggang, South Pyongan. According to the North's official Korean Central News Agency, the building was renovated in 2008.
Ahn Young-gi (), who supervised the original design and construction of the restaurant, was soon after dispatched to South Korea as a spy, and spent 38 years in prison there before being repatriated to North Korea in 2000 along with 62 other unconverted long-term prisoners. He returned home to a hero's welcome, even receiving a personal congratulations from Kim Jong-il on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2009.
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