N. Korea embarks on new project to modernize Pyongyang
New arrivals to the Hwasong district walk through through the newly-finished apartment complexes in Pyongyang, Tuesday, in this photo provided by the North Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap
North Korea has embarked on a new project to modernize its capital, Pyongyang, after leader Kim Jong-un pledged to turn Pyongyang into a global city during last month's ruling party congress, according to state media Wednesday.
An exhibition of construction equipment and an event to deploy related vehicles were held a day earlier for the fifth-stage construction project in Pyongyang's Hwasong district, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The Hwasong district is a newly refurbished housing area where a total of 40,000 housing units were built through four consecutive construction projects under Kim's guidance from 2022 to 2025.
The fifth-stage construction was launched last month, attended by Kim, and at a subsequent ruling party congress, the leader ordered the city to be developed into a model administrative unit with perfect political, economic and cultural functions.
Kim also said relevant projects should be pursued continuously to turn Pyongyang into a "great city equipped with the traits of a global city."
Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korea newspaper based in Japan, said in a recent article that North Korea will enter a new stage of broadly revamping the capital's landscape, describing the four previous projects in Hwasong as aimed mainly at addressing housing needs.