Penthouses in North Korea are for the poor instead of the rich

For people in many countries around the world, owning a penthouse is a dream. But in North Korea, it’s a different story.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continues to build high-end housing projects in the capital Pyongyang, and the latest this week, a new 80-story skyscraper was completed.

But according to North Korean defectors and many living in North Korea, the unstable elevator problem, the erratic water supply and concerns about the quality of the construction make few people dare to stay on high floors. top of the building.

“In North Korea, the poor live in penthouses instead of the rich, because the elevators often don’t work and water can’t be pumped up on high-rise apartments because the water pressure is very low,” Jung said. Si-woo (31 years old), a North Korean citizen who defected to South Korea in 2017.

Previously, while living in North Korea, Mr. Jung lived on the third floor of a 13-story building without an elevator. Meanwhile, a friend of Mr. Jung lives in an apartment on the 28th floor of a 40-storey building and he has never used the elevator because the elevator is not working.

According to Mr. Jung, in the past, most elevator systems only operated twice a day during peak hours, from 6 to 8 am and from 6 to 8 pm.

In addition, due to low water pressure, residents living on high floors are forced to carry water to their homes for use or install high-pressure pumps.

When asked about the new 80-story skyscraper completed in Pyongyang this week, Mr. Jung said Kim just wanted to “express himself.”

“This action just wants to show that North Korea’s construction level is improving, instead of considering the interests of the people,” Jung said.

In North Korea, housing includes the purchase and sale of ground-level houses or apartments that are technically illegal. However, experts say that buying and selling homes in North Korea is becoming increasingly popular, especially with those who are benefiting from the private market sector under Kim’s leadership. The North Korean leader also made a statement promising to improve the quality of construction and build tens of thousands of new apartments.

Currently, the North Korean economy is severely affected after 2 years of closing the border to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, the impact of weather factors and a series of sanctions related to the disease. Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development program.

Expansion of construction

On April 13, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported for the first time that 10,000 new apartments have been completed in the capital Pyongyang under the target of 50,000 units including an 80-storey skyscraper.

According to KCNA, the workers “ensure the quality of construction” and the new apartments and buildings will be used for education, medical and social welfare purposes to turn Pyongyang into a “city for people”. “.

On April 14, KCNA continued to report that Mr. Kim attended the inauguration ceremony of a newly built riverside residential building complex in the capital Pyongyang with the appearance of Ms. Ri Chun Hee, a famous TV broadcaster. most famous in Korea and is known as “the lady in pink”. However, this cluster of buildings belongs to a low-rise housing project.

In fact, the electricity supply system in North Korea has improved significantly under the leadership of Chairman Kim Jong-un, while opening up opportunities for nightlife. However, many people have installed solar panels to cope with the power shortage. But electricity from the sun only helps a few small electronic devices work, and is not enough to power elevators or water pumps.

Mr. Lee Sang-yong, editor-in-chief of Daily NK, a website specializing in reporting on North Korea, said that sources said the apartments for residents were not ready to go into operation yet.

Specifically, new glass doors only have frames, water pipes have been installed but there is still no water, while recently completed luxury apartments are equipped with furniture and kitchen utensils.

According to Lee, in order to help newly built high-rise apartments become popular, North Korea needs to improve electricity and water supply, as well as reassure people worried about the quality of construction.

Even during a tour organized by the North Korean government for major international media companies in 2018, the elevator system was operating at the 47-storey Yanggakdo International Hotel, but dozens of floors had no electricity. even though this is where the North Korean staff live.

At the time, two North Korean officials admitted to Reuters that the Yanggakdo hotel was part of Mr. Kim’s pet project, but few people came to stay because of concerns about the operation of the elevator system.

“No one wants to have to climb stairs for an hour,” the North Korean official said.

Minh Thu