Pyongyang Housing Push Marches On
Commercial satellite imagery shows work on the latest stage of Kim Jong Un’s ambitious plan to revitalize Pyongyang is already underway. A month after a ceremony was held to launch construction, new roads are already visible in one plot of land and building foundations are appearing in other areas.
The work represents the fifth stage of construction in the Hwasong District, located to the north of central Pyongyang.
Previous stages of this initiative appear to have been successful, with thousands of new apartments, leisure, and commercial buildings transforming what had been largely agricultural land into a shiny new urban district of the capital.
In 2021, Kim Jong Un launched a plan to add 50,000 apartments to Pyongyang over a five-year period. North Korean state media reported earlier this year that almost 60,000 new apartments were actually built. As a result, Kim recently announced a new five-year goal to “build more modern and comfortable houses and new streets” in the capital city.
This new phase is transforming a large plot that was previously occupied by temporary housing for construction workers. That housing camp has been moved approximately 3 kilometers to the southeast of its original location.
On imagery from March 25, clearings for new roads were already observed. Ground is also being cleared for a new roundabout at the southwest corner of the project.
Just to the north, a series of construction trucks is also visible.
Additional construction has started nearby. The foundations of buildings are also visible in three large pieces of land opposite the recently completed fourth stage of the project.
One of those areas is adjacent to the new Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations, which memorializes the North Korean soldiers killed fighting for Russia in the Ukraine War.
It is likely that these will become large multi-story buildings, which would create more of the skyscraper-lined street aesthetic that dominates the rest of the Hwasong district.
In his speech kicking off the latest stage of construction, Kim signaled even greater plans.
“Our capital city construction that was basically aimed at solving the housing problem is switching over to a new phase of transforming the overall appearance of the capital city on a large scale,” he said during the speech.
It is unclear what else is coming, but last year, when Kim delivered a speech at a similar ceremony to kick off the previous stage of construction, he referenced plans to “implement with serious intent the policy of extending streets of Pyongyang towards Kangdong as the second stage” after the Hwasong area is complete.
Kangdong is a rural district that makes up Pyongyang’s eastern edge. There does not appear to be any construction along the route to that area yet, but the relocation of the worker’s camp does place it alongside the Kangdong road.
During the same speech, Kim said that three districts in Pyongyang would also be redeveloped: Tungme-dong in Songyo District, Wolhyang-dong in Moranbong District and Hadang-dong in Hyongjesan District. However, none of that work has begun.