▲ This image, published by the Korean Central News Agency on March 18, 2026, shows apartment buildings in Pyongyang's newly refurbished Hwasong district. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

N Korea-development project

N. Korea embarks on new project to modernize Pyongyang

SEOUL, March 18 (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.

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