North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the completion ceremony for the 10,000 residential unis in the Hwasong District, which was finished in time for the birthday of Kim Il-sung (April 15), the holiday of April.
The Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Wednesday that the grand completion ceremony took place on Tuesday, with Kim Jong Un in attendance and cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
During the event, Kim met with workers and elderly residents who would soon move into the new homes. He reportedly expressed regret that it had taken so long to provide such modern housing. Observing the citizens’ joy and excitement, he is said to have remarked that their reactions strengthened his resolve to continue working hard for the people. He also offered words of encouragement to the military personnel and innovators contributing to the ongoing project to construct 50,000 housing units in Pyongyang.
The ceremony was attended by party secretary Kim Tok-hun, Prime Minister Park Tae-seong, and other officials from the party and government, as well as cabinet members, military officials, construction workers, and Pyongyang residents.
In his speech, party secretary Kim praised the completion of Hwasong District Phase 3, noting that the area had acquired the full political, economic, and cultural capabilities of a complete administrative district. He suggested that the development serves as a model for modernization and advancement in other parts of the capital. Kim also emphasized that the transformation highlighted a clear departure from the older Pyongyang, which had gradually evolved since the nation’s founding, signaling the emergence of a newly modernized urban district.
In 2021, North Korea announced at the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea its plan to build 50,000 new housing units in Pyongyang over five years, at a rate of 10,000 units annually. Following this, they held a groundbreaking ceremony in March 2021 in the Songshin-Songhwa area on the outskirts of Pyongyang, completing it the following year. They subsequently developed Hwasong Street as part of Phase 1 in 2023 and Rimheung Street as part of Phase 2 in 2024. The groundbreaking for Phase 3 took place in February, last year and the project was completed after about a year. Phase 4 construction commenced in February and is currently underway.
Since the start of Phase 3, Kim Jong Un has frequently visited the site. After inspecting the construction site on March 15, he returned three weeks later on April 3 with his daughter Kim Ju Ae to oversee the construction of service facilities, including a computer game room, encouraging that they meet the completion deadline by the Day of the Sun. Holding the completion ceremony on Kim Il-sung’s birthday appears to be a strategic move to highlight the government’s commitment to improving the public welfare.