North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has announced a new construction plan to expand the capital Pyongyang eastward, state media reported Monday.
Kim revealed the plan during a ceremony for 10,000 new apartments in Pyongyang's Hwasong area, part of his five-year development plan launched in 2021. The broader initiative aims to build 50,000 housing units in the capital, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
This was reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kim stated that once the Hwasong project is completed, construction will extend eastward toward Kangdong County, a suburban area outside Pyongyang.
The expansion will include science research centers, schools, and modern housing, turning Hwasong and its surroundings into a new hub for science and culture.
At the same time, older districts in and around the capital will be renovated, KCNA reported.
Major Policy Move in 2026
Kim emphasized that the construction plan will be officially presented at a Workers' Party meeting in 2026, where it is expected to become a key national policy.
He also addressed progress on his five-year housing initiative, calling the latest 10,000-unit project the plan’s final stage and describing it as "the greatest of all achievements."
Under the 2021 plan, North Korea set a goal of building 10,000 housing units per year. The first 10,000 apartments were completed that year in Songsin and Songhwa, two newly developed areas near Hwasong.
Since then, nearly 30,000 additional apartments have been built in Hwasong between 2022 and 2024, bringing Kim’s ambitious housing project close to completion.
