North Korea is reportedly building three large mansions inside the Kumsusan Guest House complex in Pyongyang, which hosts foreign leaders and senior visitors. The development suggests that Kim Jong Un is preparing for active summit diplomacy next year.
NK News, a U.S.-based media outlet specializing in North Korean affairs, reported on Tuesday that construction of three large mansions on the Kumsusan Guest House grounds was underway, based on their analysis of recently acquired satellite imagery.
The satellite images reveal that each of the three new mansions covers approximately 130,000 to 140,000 square feet. These dimensions are comparable to the two existing mansions in the area that North Korea used to house Chinese President Xi Jinping during his 2019 visit.
North Korea rushed to complete the Kumsusan Guest House ahead of President Xi’s visit in June 2019. This was seen as a strategic move, considering that the Baekhwawon Guest House, previously used by former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and other dignitaries, was an older facility completed in 1983. Some analysts speculated that the new construction was also in anticipation of a potential visit from then-U.S. President Donald Trump. Remarkably, North Korea completed the new guest house in just four months.
NK News characterized this latest construction project as typical of North Korea’s speed campaigns, suggesting that the building plans were hastily developed and implemented.
The construction activity was first detected when a large worker camp appeared in a nearby field in late October. Satellite imagery shows that ground excavation work continued until mid-November. High-resolution images captured by the U.S. company Maxar on December 2 revealed that all three mansions already have multiple floors of structural framework in place.
The simultaneous construction of supporting facilities indicates that North Korea is prioritizing this project. Experts suggest the exterior work could be completed within the next 1 to 2 months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are considered the most likely candidates to use these new accommodations. Given that Putin visited Pyongyang last June, Xi is expected to make the next state visit.
Xi’s last trip to North Korea was in 2019. Following Kim Jong Un’s visit to Beijing last September, diplomatic protocol suggests that the next North Korea-China summit will take place in Pyongyang.
U.S. President Donald Trump also publicly expressed interest in a North Korea summit and a visit in October, leaving open the possibility of a trip at any time.
However, NK News cautions that this construction may not be solely for the preparation of foreign leaders’ visits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, parts of the Kumsusan Guest House were repurposed as accommodations for artists and even used as locations for music video productions.
Reports indicate that several high-ranking Russian officials have used this guest house, including Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, in September 2024; Andrei Belousov, Russian Defense Minister, in November; and Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, in October 2025.
The construction of these mansions is occurring simultaneously with the development of a cemetery and museum for North Korean soldiers who died in the Ukraine conflict. This juxtaposition suggests an effort to symbolize North Korea-Russia military cooperation within a prestigious area of Pyongyang.