North Korea has confirmed its plan to construct hundreds of thousands of housing units over the next five years, as announced during the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party held last month. This initiative appears to be a continuation of the nationwide residential construction efforts that began following the 8th Party Congress in 2021.
On March 7, the party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, published an article titled, What Has Changed from Five Years Ago to Today, stating that at the historic 9th Party Congress, it set forth an ambitious goal to build hundreds of thousands of housing units over the next five years.
The article further noted that faced with this grand vision and blueprint, the people across the nation are confidently envisioning the new streets and communities that will emerge five years from now. The builders are brimming with conviction that they can accomplish any large-scale task.
This marks the first time North Korea has publicly disclosed the housing construction targets established at the 9th Party Congress. Following the 8th Party Congress in 2021, North Korea had announced plans to build 50,000 new housing units in Pyongyang over five years, at a rate of 10,000 units annually, making it a priority project. It is estimated that tens of thousands of additional housing units have been constructed in various regions across the country.
During the Completion Ceremony for 10,000 Housing Units in Pyongyang’s Hwasong District, Phase 4 held on February 16, Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, hinted at the upcoming announcement of more ambitious creative goals, suggesting that new housing construction plans would be finalized at the 9th Party Congress. The newspaper’s recent report seems to confirm the broad outlines of this plan.
North Korea’s proposal for a new construction plan involving hundreds of thousands of units reflects its confidence in the achievements of the past five years. At the recent Congress, North Korea expanded the authority of Kim Jong-gwan, the deputy prime minister responsible for construction, by appointing him as party secretary and department head. The South Korean Ministry of Unification interpreted this personnel decision as indicative of North Korea’s current emphasis on construction.
Moreover, in his first public appearance following the Party Congress, Kim visited the Sunchon Cement Complex, describing it as a key production base that has supported construction projects. He emphasized that this visit was intended to drive forward the comprehensive national development and expanded construction plans conceived at the Congress.