North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, took care of public welfare by attending the completion ceremony of 10,000 residential units in the third phase of the Hwasong district, completed to mark the birthday of Kim Il-sung (Sun’s Day, April 15). It appears he did not visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where Kim Il Sung’s body is preserved, this year either.
The Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Wednesday that the completion ceremony for the 10,000 residential units in the third phase of the Hwasong district was held grandly on Tuesday, with Kim Jong Un attending and cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
During the event, Kim met with workers and elderly residents who were set to move into the new homes and expressed regret that such modern residences were only being provided now. He reportedly said that witnessing the citizens’ overwhelming emotion and joy reaffirmed his determination to work even harder for the people. He also offered words of encouragement to the military personnel and innovators involved in the ongoing project to build 50,000 residential units in Pyongyang.
The completion ceremony was attended by party secretary Kim Tok-hun, Prime Minister Park Tae-seong, and other party and government officials, as well as workers from the cabinet, military institutions, ministries, and central agencies, along with construction workers in Pyongyang.
In his congratulatory speech, party secretary Kim praised the completion of the Hwasong district’s third phase, noting that the area now functions as a fully developed administrative district with political, economic, and cultural significance. He described it as a central model capable of driving modernization in other parts of the capital and emphasized that the newly completed urban district marks a sharp contrast with the older Pyongyang, which had gradually evolved over decades since the country’s founding.
North Korea announced plans at the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in 2021 to build 50,000 new housing units in Pyongyang over five years, at a rate of 10,000 units per year. Accordingly, they began construction 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 Rimhung Street as part of Phase 2 in 2024. The groundbreaking for Phase 3 took place in February last year and was completed after about a year. Phase 4 construction began this February and is currently underway.
Kim has frequently visited the Phase 3 site since its groundbreaking. 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, directing that they meet the completion deadline by the Day of the Sun. Holding the ceremony on Kim Il-sung’s birthday appears intended to highlight his focus on improving public welfare.
Photos released by the newspaper show that his daughter Kim Ju Ae also attended the ceremony. She had previously accompanied him during his visit to the nearly completed construction site on April 3.
The previous day’s event featured a spectacular nighttime celebration, likely including performances to entertain residents. Kim was seen personally hugging and shaking hands with residents. This public engagement on Kim Il-sung’s birthday seems to emphasize Kim Jong Un’s People-Centered approach.
Meanwhile, it appears that Kim did not visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the occasion of the Day of the Sun this year.
The newspaper reported that Park Tae-seong, Choe Ryong Hae, Member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau, and other party and government officials visited the palace the previous day, but there was no mention of Kim’s attendance.
Since taking power, Kim has visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun every year on the Day of the Sun, except in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he has not visited the site for three consecutive years, starting in 2023.
The frequency of Kim’s visits to the Kumsusan Palace has decreased in recent years. Analysts suggest this may indicate an effort to distance himself from the legacy of his predecessors and strengthen Kim’s independent cult of personality.
