North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony marking the completion of 10,000 new housing units in a newly developed town in Pyongyang on the birth anniversary of his grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung, the North's state media reported Wednesday.
Kim attended the completion ceremony for the third-stage housing section of the newly developed Hwasong area in the capital Tuesday, the day the country celebrated the 113th birth anniversary of its founder, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
He appears to have chosen the founder's birthday, known as the biggest national holiday in North Korea, as the date for the completion ceremony to rally public support and further solidify his leadership.
Pyongyang's northeastern district of Hwasong, along with Songhwa, has been newly developed under a five-year plan unveiled by Kim in 2021 to build 10,000 housing units in the capital every year.
The first batch of 10,000 apartments was completed in Songhwa the following year, followed by 20,000 more units built in the first- and second-stage sections of Hwasong in 2023-2024.
The latest completion of the third-stage section brings the total number of new apartments to 40,000 so far, with Kim claiming the completion of the final fourth-stage section, currently under construction, will successfully resolve housing issues in the capital area.
The housing construction, along with another major construction plan to develop rural areas, known as the "Regional Development 20X10 Policy," is Kim's pet project aimed at improving the living standards of the people.
The KCNA quoted Kim as saying during Tuesday's ceremony that he was "sorry to provide the modern apartment houses only now," adding he was firmly "determined to take upon himself more work for the people."
He also cut the inauguration tape and met with workers and senior citizens who will move into the new apartments, with high-profile cadres attending the ceremony alongside him, including Premier Pak Thae-song, the KCNA said.
Photos of the ceremony released by the KCNA showed Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the North's parliamentary standing committee, also among the attendees, as well as the leader's daughter, known as Ju-ae.
Kim's latest appearance marks his fourth visit to the third-stage section of the Hwasong new town, including the groundbreaking ceremony last year and two additional visits in March and April while construction was under way. (Yonhap)
