Over the past year, North Korea has been observed undertaking reconstruction efforts at three prison facilities, indicating a potential expansion of both detention capacity and management capabilities.
On Thursday, NK News, a U.S.-based media outlet focusing on North Korean affairs, reported that analysis of Planet Labs satellite imagery revealed extensive demolition work inside the No. 1 Reformatory in Kaechon, as well as expansions at the Kangdong and Hoeryong prisons.
NK News suggests that this construction aligns with directives issued during a judicial system meeting in September 2022, where Kim Jong Un and other high-ranking officials ordered the use of law as a political tool to safeguard the party and intensify legal measures against anti-socialist and non-socialist activities.
The majority of structures within the Kaechon prison compound have been confirmed demolished since mid-January. Satellite imagery from Monday shows that small areas enclosed by prison walls remain intact.
Based on patterns observed at other prison facilities, NK News predicts that new inmate housing and administrative buildings will be erected within these walled-off areas.
The outlet also reported that the No. 4 Reformatory, situated in Kangdong County on Pyongyang’s outskirts, has initiated internal renovations. Google Earth satellite imagery indicates ongoing construction of new interior walls around recently built structures from May to September of last year.
Furthermore, NK News identified another prison complex under construction in the Ryongnam District, west of Kangdong County. This facility features a dual-walled structure, encompassing areas of 0.75 hectares to the north and 0.6 hectares to the south.
In Hoeryong, a city near the Chinese border, Planet Labs satellite imagery shows ongoing prison expansion. By September 2024, a new perimeter wall is expected to double the facility’s area, though new buildings are still in their basic stages of construction.
NK News also reported continued site preparation within a large prison complex in central Sariwon City. Analysts speculate that modern, large-scale structures similar to those in Sinuiju and Hamhung could be erected at this location.