Quick Take: First Footprints of New Pyongyang Housing Project Appear

The first signs of work on the fifth and final stage of a project to build 50,000 new apartments in Pyongyang are now apparent. Commercial satellite imagery from March 13 shows that since a groundbreaking ceremony on February 16, building foundations have been excavated at the southern end of the Hwasong District as workers race to meet the year-end deadline.

The footers for around 20 buildings are observed in the Hwawon 2-dong neighborhood in the Hwasong District. About half of the neighborhood was built up during the   stage of the housing project and this new stage looks to fill most of the rest of the vacant land.

Similar work appears to be taking place in neighboring Hwasong 1-dong, although with fewer building footprints.

An additional 20-odd footings are also observed in Taesong-dong in the adjacent Taesong Distict, where the groundbreaking ceremony took place last month. The footings have been built on vacant land between the Hwasong District and the Pyongyang Zoo.

This is the final year of the plan to build 50,000 new apartments in Pyongyang over five years as part of efforts to modernize the capital city. To date, state media says the project is on track. Satellite imagery has confirmed significant progress has been made against the plan. At the groundbreaking for this final stage, Kim Jong Un announced plans for additional future projects in the capital city, although the timing of those projects remains unclear.