N. Korea's Kim marks completion of new apartments in Pyongyang's new town on founder's birthday
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony marking the completion of 10,000 new housing units in a newly developed town in Pyongyang on the birth anniversary of his grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung, the North's state media reported Wednesday.
Kim attended the completion ceremony for the third-stage housing section of the newly developed Hwasong area in the capital Tuesday, the day the country celebrated the 113th birth anniversary of its founder, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
He appears to have chosen the founder's birthday, known as the biggest national holiday in North Korea, as the date for the completion ceremony to rally public support and further solidify his leadership.
Pyongyang's northeastern district of Hwasong, along with Songhwa, has been newly developed under a five-year plan unveiled by Kim in 2021 to build 10,000 housing units in the capital every year.
The first batch of 10,000 apartments was completed in Songhwa the following year, followed by 20,000 more units built in the first- and second-stage sections of Hwasong in 2023-2024.
The latest completion of the third-stage section brings the total number of new apartments to 40,000 so far, with Kim claiming the completion of the final fourth-stage section, currently under construction, will successfully resolve housing issues in the capital area.
The housing construction, along with another major construction plan to develop rural areas, known as the "Regional Development 20X10 Policy," is Kim's pet project aimed at improving the living standards of the people.
The KCNA quoted Kim as saying during Tuesday's ceremony that he was "sorry to provide the modern apartment houses only now," adding he was firmly "determined to take upon himself more work for the people."
He also cut the inauguration tape and met with workers and senior citizens who will move into the new apartments, with high-profile cadres attending the ceremony alongside him, including Premier Pak Thae-song, the KCNA said.
Photos of the ceremony released by the KCNA showed Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the North's parliamentary standing committee, also among the attendees, as well as the leader's daughter, known as Ju-ae.
Kim's latest appearance marks his fourth visit to the third-stage section of the Hwasong new town, including the groundbreaking ceremony last year and two additional visits in March and April while construction was under way. (Yonhap)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Over 10m people travel between S. Korea, Japan in first 5 months in 2025
More than 10 million air passengers traveled on routes between South Korea and Japan in the January–May period, despite the strengthening yen, the transport ministry said Sunday. A record 11.25 million passengers flew between South Korea and Japan during the first five months of the year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press release. The figure represents a 10.7 percent increase from the 10.16 million recorded during the same period last year and a 19.8 percent rise from the 9.39 million in the first five months of 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the airline industry. Industry officials said that years of a weak yen and the expansion of budget carrier flights to Japan have helped stimulate pent-up travel demand in recent years. They expect demand to continue rising in the second half, with the number of air traffic between the two countries likely to exceed last year's total of 25.14 million. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Lee calls rewarding patriotism a national responsibility, duty
President Lee Jae-myung said Friday rewarding patriotism is the nation's responsibility and duty, vowing to provide "special compensation" for those who sacrificed their lives to safeguard the nation. Lee made the remark during a Memorial Day ceremony held at Seoul National Cemetery, marking his first attendance at a national commemorative event since taking office Wednesday. "Rewarding patriotism is the bare minimum treatment for sacrifice and dedication," he said. "For special sacrifices for all, special compensation should be given." Lee said he will improve the rewards for those who sacrificed themselves to protect the country and make working conditions better for the military personnel, firefighters and police officers. "We will improve the working conditions for citizens in uniform so they can protect the nation and people without worries," he said. Lee said the government will expand support for surviving spouses of war veterans and enhance medical services for veterans while pledging fair compensation for military service. "We will implement fair compensation for military service, ensuring appropriate recognition for the dedication of national merit recipients and discharged veterans. He also called for moving beyond the old, saying, "Those who fought for independence suffered across generations, while collaborators with colonizers prospered," emphasizing the need to reshape national values. "We must become a nation where sacrifice for the country and the community is rightfully rewarded -- a nation where devotion for all is honored more than anything else," Lee said. Lee's Memorial Day speech made no mention of North Korea or diplomacy, but he vowed to build a peaceful nation. "Building a peaceful nation free from the worry of war and a safe society where everyday life is secure is the most responsible way to respond to their noble sacrifice and dedication," Lee said. "Let us repay them by building a nation where democracy and prosperity flourish on the foundation of robust peace — a nation filled with pride and dignity," he added. The ceremony was attended by about 4,000 attendees, including the bereaved families of four service members killed in the crash of a Navy patrol aircraft last month. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
US says NK military deployment, Russia's support in return 'must end'
A State Department spokesperson reiterated Thursday that North Korea's troop deployment to Russia and Moscow's support to the North in return "must end." Tommy Pigott, the department's principal deputy spokesperson, made the remarks, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to "unconditionally" support Russia over the war against Ukraine during a meeting with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang earlier this week. "We continue to be concerned about North Korea's direct involvement in the war," he told a press briefing. "North Korea's military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the DPRK in return must end," he added. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He also stressed that third countries, like North Korea, "bear responsibility" for their role in the war against Ukraine. During the meeting with Shoigu, Kim said that Pyongyang will "unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues, including the Ukrainian issue," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim also said his country will "responsibly" observe the articles of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed in June last year. (Yonhap)
