North Korean authorities have demolished Kim Jong Un’s private airfield near Mt. Myohyang and replaced it with horse-riding tracks.
Daily NK confirmed through Maxar satellite imagery on May 3 that Kim’s private Myohyangsan Airfield in Hyangsan Village, Hyangsan County, Chagang Province, has been removed and replaced with the tracks. The tracks include a 1,200-meter outer track and an 800-meter inner track.
The Myohyangsan Airfield was built in 2014 as Kim’s private airport. However, it was demolished in 2020 and reduced to an empty lot.
After that, little was known about how the authorities were using the land, but recent satellite images show a horse-riding track surrounded by grass on the site, which was previously a dirt field.
However, Kim’s private train station, which used to serve the airport, remains unchanged.
The Hyesan Manpo Youth Line, which runs through the area, passes Myohyangsan Station. The line’s branch connects Kim’s private station to the south of the horse racetrack built on the former airfield.
“A horse-riding track has indeed been built where the airfield runway used to be,” said a Daily NK source in North Korea, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They plan to build service facilities such as a high-end restaurant and a swimming pool next to it.”
According to the source, troops from the First Brigade of the Central Committee have been mobilized for construction at the riding tracks site. The Central Committee’s First Brigade is reportedly an engineering unit under the direct command of Kim Jong Un that is primarily involved in secret construction projects related to the nation’s supreme leader, including the Kim clan’s villas, resorts, and hospitals.
Given that the unit was tasked with building the riding tracks and service facilities, the complex in question is likely a private resort for Kim and his immediate family.
The North Korean authorities had previously built horse-riding tracks on demolished private presidential airfields in Wonsan, Kangwon Province, Ryongsong, Pyongyang, and Sinchon, South Hwanghae Province.
The First Brigade of the Central Committee was mobilized to demolish Kim’s private airfield in Wonsan, Kangwon Province, and turn it into a horse-riding track.
Kim and his immediate family use the horse-riding tracks built on the site of the Wonsan airfield as a private resort.
North Korea’s demolition of many of Kim’s private airfields appears to be due to concerns that they could become priority targets in a war.
North Korea has private presidential horse racetracks and related facilities in about 20 locations nationwide. Kim has enjoyed horseback riding since his days as a student abroad, while his daughter Ju Ae pursues it as a hobby.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
