Efforts appear to be accelerating on the construction of an apartment building in Sinuiju as laborers work on apartment exteriors during the day and continue on the interiors into the night, Daily NK has learned.
“The exterior of the circle-shaped apartment building being built near the Sino-North Korean Friendship Bridge in Sinuiju is almost complete,” a Daily NK source reported on Thursday.
In the past, there have been cases where apartment construction has been declared completed in North Korea, but with only water, electricity and windows being completed on the interiors. The apartment building in the photo appear to be of special interest to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meaning that residents will be moving into fully finished apartments.
In photos released by Dong-A University professor Kang Dong-wan recently, the apartment building appears to be lit up to aid construction work at night.
Kang noted in a Facebook post uploaded on September 16 that the lights were not turned off and sparks from welding activities in the building were seen through the Chuseok holiday in Sinuiju. He also remarked in the post that a “speed battle” is currently underway following Kim Jong Un’s order to develop the city, and laborers are working precariously on the high building “without any safety equipment.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Sinuiju in November 2018 to conduct on-site guidance for the city and also demanded that construction be completed by Kim Il Sung’s birthday (April 15) in 2022.
Despite work on the apartment building day and night, a lack of building materials has made progress on construction slow.
“The lack of funds has made it difficult for the regime to acquire building materials,” another Daily NK source said.
The regime reportedly had to drastically slow down or even halt construction in areas of Sinuiju in February this year due to material shortages.
Another major project in the country, the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, has also suffered from delays due to material shortages.
Rodong Sinmun released a panorama of apartment buildings in early June which it referred to as the “Sinuiju 26-8, 9 and 10 Apartments.”
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