
North Korean leader visits site of major housing project in Pyongyang
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a major housing construction site nearing completion in Pyongyang, describing it as bringing a "new era of prosperity" to the capital, state media reported Sunday.
Kim visited the construction site of 10,000 apartments in the capital's Hwasong area Saturday -- the third phase of a four-part plan to build 40,000 units in the area, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"This is a significant development of enhancing the strategic function and position of the capital city," Kim was quoted as saying. "This is of great experimental significance in putting the new era of prosperity of Pyongyang on a higher level."
In 2021, North Korea unveiled a plan to build 50,000 new apartments in Pyongyang over five years and has so far completed the construction of 30,000 units. It began construction of the final 10,000 units last month.
Meanwhile, the dispatch said Kim instructed officials to prepare for a ceremony to mark the completion of the 10,000 apartments ahead of the Day of the Sun -- the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il-sung on April 15 -- marking the reappearance of the term in North Korean state media.
The North celebrates its late founder's birthday as a major national holiday but had recently stopped using the term Day of the Sun, in an apparent effort to elevate the cult of personality of current leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Korea Herald
10 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Cabinet approves W26b for presidential office relocation
The Cabinet on Tuesday earmarked 25.9 billion won (US$19 million) in state funds to relocate the presidential office to the former compound of Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office said. President Lee Jae-myung approved the relocation plan in a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, and the amount is roughly 69 percent of the budget spent to move the presidential office to Yongsan in central Seoul under the former administration, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. The presidential compound was relocated to the headquarters of the defense ministry in Yongsan a few months after former President Yoon Suk Yeol assumed office in May 2022. The old presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, located on a secluded hilltop compound in central Seoul, has since been opened to the public for sightseeing visits. "To ensure a smooth return to Cheong Wa Dae and a better sightseeing environment for visitors, the operation schedule for Cheong Wa Dae tours will be adjusted," Kang said. "The return to Cheong Wa Dae will be conducted in phases on weekends and holidays." In a separate notice, the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation, which operates walking tours at the former presidential compound, said the current tour schedules will run through July 14, with changes set to take place starting from reservations for the July 16-31 period. All tours will temporarily halt from Aug. 1 for maintenance and security procedures until they resume after the relocation is completed. (Yonhap)


Korea Herald
15 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Yoon, wife to face special counsel probes
577 prosecutors, investigators allotted to look into ex-first couple President Lee Jae-myung's Cabinet on Tuesday passed bills to open three special counsel investigations into former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee. The bills are intended to "end the insurrection" that the Lee administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea accuse Yoon of instigating with his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3, 2024. At the second Cabinet meeting since Lee took office last week, the Democratic Party-led bills passed into law to bring together 577 prosecutors and investigators in total to investigate the former first couple. The combined size of the legal teams involved in the investigations is comparable to a district attorney's office. With Tuesday's passage, a special counsel investigation will look into if Yoon committed either insurrection or treason by trying to impose martial law. Yoon declared martial law late in the evening of Dec. 3, only to lift it six hours later following a National Assembly resolution that opposed it. The Democratic Party contends that Yoon attempted to provoke military action from North Korea with his hawkish policies to lay the groundwork for the declaration of martial law. Yoon's Ministry of National Defense playing anti-Kim Jong-un regime broadcasts along the inter-Korean borders from June 2024 was one example of the former administration deliberately seeking military confrontation with North Korea, according to the Democratic Party. Before their resumption last year, the border broadcasts had been used by the South Korean military as a psychological warfare tactic in the past, before they were halted in 2018 under then-President Moon Jae-in. The Democratic Party also claims that Yoon sent drones across the border into North Korea in October 2024, echoing Pyongyang's accusations that the South Korean military was behind the alleged drone infiltration. Yoon allegedly attempting to instigate an armed conflict with North Korea in the run-up to his martial law decree qualifies as "treason," the Democratic Party claimed, on top of being a "rebellion against the Constitution, which is to say, insurrection." Yoon's wife Kim is set to face a separate special counsel investigation that will scrutinize allegations she was involved in the then-ruling People Power Party's nomination of candidates for a National Assembly seat in the 2022 by-election. Another special counsel investigation would revisit the death of a Marine in July 2023. Cpl. Chae Su-geun, 20, died when he was swept away in moving water during a search and rescue operation to locate flood victims in a rain-swollen river in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province. The Democratic Party says Yoon's presidential office tried to impede the preliminary probe into Chae's death at the time to cover up possible wrongdoing at the top. Special counsels will be given as long as 170 days to investigate Yoon and his wife. Yoon was removed from office on April 4 in a unanimous ruling by the Constitutional Court over the martial law debacle, leading South Korea to hold an early presidential election on June 3.


Korea Herald
15 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Where do Korean celebrities stand in politics?
In politically charged Korea, celebrities walk tightrope of neutrality Following South Korea's presidential election on June 3, a seemingly innocuous act by one of the nation's most celebrated actresses ignited a storm. Actress Song Hye-kyo pressed 'like' on now President-elect Lee Jae-myung's then-election campaign video on his HR policy. The simple gesture came under fire, drawing fierce backlash from those accusing her of breaking an unspoken rule: Celebrities in South Korea must remain politically neutral — or even near-total political abstinence. The controversy underscores a long-standing tension in Korean pop culture, where public figures in the fields of entertainment and culture are expected to suppress even the slightest hint of political affiliation. During the June election, numerous celebrities, from K-pop idols to comedians, were compelled to apologize or explain their actions for reasons as mundane as wearing red or blue, the symbolic colors of the rival People Power Party and Democratic Party of Korea, respectively. In one widely discussed case, League of Legends esports team Gen.G abstained from their usual 'V for victory' gesture after setting a historic win streak, fearing it could be mistaken as a political statement for candidate No. 2, Kim Moon-soo. Similarly, popular figures like Karina of aespa, entertainer Hong Jin-kyung and rapper Beenzino faced criticism for wearing red clothing, widely associated with Kim's People Power Party during the campaign period. Others, like comedian Park Sung-kwang and actress Ahn So-hee, were accused of showing political bias simply by posting images with blue rooftops or red roses. This hyper-vigilant policing of neutrality has left many wondering: Why are Korean celebrities held to such extreme standards? Idol as 'cultural blank slate' 'Korean celebrities, particularly idols, are not merely entertainers. They are seen as projections of fan ideals — cultural blank slates,' said cultural critic Kim Heon-sik. 'This makes any personal expression — political or otherwise — subject to public interpretation and judgment.' The term "idol" in Korea has come to denote more than admiration. As The Independent put it, idols are expected to embody fan fantasies while remaining void of personal beliefs that may challenge that image. In this framework, political neutrality is not just preferred, it is mandatory. 'Fans don't see idols as individuals with agency. They are shaped, controlled and even owned — emotionally — by their followers. A 'like' on a campaign post can be perceived as betrayal if it's not in line with what the fan thinks,' Kim added. This leads to K-pop idols often avoiding using primary colors, hand gestures or even certain numbers during election periods. Some go so far as to post black-and-white photos to preempt controversy, a trend that was lauded as 'socially aware' during the most recent campaign. South Korea's hypersensitivity to political expression has deep historical roots. As a country marked by ideological division and rapid democratic transition, political affiliations have long carried career-altering consequences. Even now, expressing support for one party or another can result in social ostracism, economic repercussions or online attacks. Bae Sang-hoon, a sociology professor at Chungbuk University, explained, 'South Korea's political environment is emotionally charged, and people project these tensions onto public figures.' "The issue is compounded by the country's deepening culture of fan attachment. The emotional investment that fans place in idols, often described as 'parasocial relationships,' can blur the lines between admiration and control. That emotional ownership has only intensified as fans use celebrities as a proxy to process their own social anxieties," Bae added. Some observers suggest that intense attachment to celebrities serves, in part, as an emotional coping mechanism. 'In a highly competitive society, where people feel disconnected and under pressure, celebrities serve as emotional anchors,' Bae added. 'This can turn into a toxic dynamic when fans begin to expect moral purity and political conformity from people who are essentially strangers.' Calls are growing for a more mature fan culture — one that allows room for artists to engage as citizens without fear of professional ruin. But such a change will require a fundamental reevaluation of the role celebrities play in society and the emotional needs they are often expected to fulfill. 'If we want to continue celebrating the rise of K-pop and Korean soft power, we must also ask whether we are granting our stars the same freedoms we expect in a democratic society," said a 31-year-old surnamed Kim who is active in fandom activities.