Kim Jong Il, Where He Sleeps and Where He Works

[imText1]While Kim Il Sung was still alive, Kim Jong Il built underground facilities and connected them like a spider web saying it is for the “purpose of securing protection for the Suryeong.” However, the facilities are actually for himself in the future.

Kim Jong Il founded a special military engineering unit and proceeded the underground facility project for the past several decades. For this reason, North Korea probably has the best skill to dig underground in the world.

North Korea is “Underground Republic”

The subway in Pyongyang was built mostly between lithosphere about 80m to100m underground. However the underground road for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were built much deeper underground than the subway. By building underground facilities, Kim Jong Il is able to create fear in the society while making economic profit by exporting tunnel digging skills to the countries with ties in preparation for both the conventional and nuclear wars.

The outstanding achievements of the underground facilities is the residences and chalets for Kim Jong Il. In case for the exhibition, the residence contains basic equipments and all the residents and chalets, including the inner facilities of the chalets, are connected to each other.

[Residences of Kim Jong Il]

▲ Kim Jong Il’s Office

Kim Jong Il’s office located in Central district in Pyoungyang is the one previously used by Kim Il Sung. After Kim Il Sung built a Head of State Palace in Hyungjesan district and moved his office there, Kim Jong Il renovated the office building in 1976 and has been using it as his office since then.

The building is several hundred meters in width and three stories high, built with iron rods and concrete, decorated with granite and marbles inside. The building with the walls of 80cm thick will survive the bombings without any problem. At every entrance to the complex, seven of them in total, there is a 40t automatic iron gate, remote controlled.

These automatic iron gates are hard to break through even with a tank, and because they are covered with lead, they can also be nuclear radiation blockages. The building has underground tunnels to move to underground facilities in case of emergency. Furthermore, the building is surrounded by 11m high fences. There is the Russian embassy near by, but high buildings surround Kim Jong Il’s building so people in the embassy cannot look into the building.

The underground tunnels connect to House #15. There is a tunnel if you go down about 100m on an elevator. It is told that Kim Jong Il sometimes walked or rode bicycle to the House #15 to exercise. The underground road is made of marble, 4-5m width, 3m height. It is about six minute walk.

▲ Kim Jong Il’s House (#15)

This is the house Kim Jong Il once resided with Sung Hye Lim, which is located in Jungsung-dong, Pyongyang. It is connected to Kim Jong Il’s office, which is in the Central Committee of the Party Complex, by a underground road.

▲ East Pyongyang House (#85)

It is located in Pyongyang, and the size of the house is much bigger than the House #15. Deer are fostered as pets and there are places for fishing.

▲ ChangKwang Mountain House

This is the house where Kim Jong Il lived with Koh Young Hee. Kim is known to be living in this house since 1979, when his relationship with Sung Hye Lim grew apart. It remains in question whether Kim still lives here, after Koh died. The house is located in Central district, Pyongyang.

▲ Jangdong House located in Botongkang district

▲ Kim Jong Il’s Official House (#16)

The House #16 is known to be the official house of Kim Jong Il, located in Central district in Pyongyang. There are machines for entertainment set up on the second floor. The main gate is located behind the Party Establishment Building and there is the Party History Laboratory (Research Institute) of the Central Party behind the back gate. In the lower level of the house, there is a secret route that connects the house with the outside. The size of the lot for the house if approximately 20,000 square meters, surrounded with the 11m high fences.

[Kim Jong Il’s Chalet]

There are known to be about ten of Kim Jong Il’s personal chalets. Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, each owned different chalets. Therefore, it is predicted that there will be many more if we count Kim Il Sung’s chalets as well.

▲ Youngsung 21 Complex

This is North Korea’s “underground wartime headquarter.” In case a war breaks out, the Supreme commander unit, bureaucratic department, commanding department, worker’s party unit and other departments are to be stationed together at this place. In case of a nuclear war, (it is known to have) the walls built with iron rods and concrete covered with lead will protect the headquarter. They facility was completed in 1983.

There are numerous military units to protect the headquarter stationed around the building in possession of mass scale conventional weapons. The size of the lot is about as big as a block in North Korea, and there are enough of supplies for the headquarter to survive for ten years without any outside contact.

The headquarter complex is connected to the main chalets and has a subway of its own, which are all connected with the underground tunnels. It is also connected to the Jamo Mountain Chalet in Sunchun-gun, which is located about 40km away from Pyongyang.

▲ Jamo Mountain Chalet

Also known as Jangsu Chalet, Jamo Chalet was completed in 1982 after the six years of construction. During the construction, Kim Sung Ae (Kim Il Sung’s second wife) stayed here in isolation for six months after she lost the “fight for succession” with Kim Jong Il. According to the testimony of Hwang Jang Yop, the former International Secretary of the North Korean Worker’s Party, another underground tunnel was built from Jamo Mountain Chalet to Youngwon Chalet (Kangdong Chalet) in 1996, which are located about 50km apart from each other.

▲ 10th June 1989, the ‘main building’ of Kang Dong. No.32 guest house in Kang dong, there are the private ‘the building for General’ of Kim Jong Il, ‘No. 1 building’ for Kim Jong Il family (Ko Young Hee, Prince and Princess), ‘No.2 building’ for Kim Jong Il’s sister Kim Kyoung Hee(the general manager of light industry for the Party) and her husband Jang Sung Taek (the first assistant manager of the Party), and ‘the main building’(controlling the inside of guest house) is located around the lake with water fountain in the center.

▲ 10th June 1989, ‘No.5 house’ in Kang Dong. Fujimoto Kenji stayed only in ‘No.5 house’ in front of the lake. The guest house in vast area and the entertainment places for bowling, shooting and roller skating are furnished.

▲ 10th June 1989, the ‘General building’ of Kang Dong

▲ Hyangsan Chalet

Located in Horang ridge(altitude 1,909m) where it has the most beautiful sights of the MyoHyang mountain, started to be built in November 1981, was completed in July 1984. A Korean traditional style huge compound building in 500,000㎡ building area, composed with one building for villa and three buildings for security and supporting facilities. Hyang San Villa is where Kim Il Sung died and for this reason, Kim Jong Il does not visit this villa after the death of Kim Il Sung.

Kim Jong Il said the medical system in Hyangsan villa is not worse than the central government medical system in Pyungyang.
According to this, it is possible to measure how good the quality is of the villas for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. High-ranking officials in North Korean administration were not able to prove but had doubts about that Kim Il Sung died suddenly in Hyangsan villa without time for first aid.

Myohyang mountain is locate in Hyangsan-gun of North Pyungan Province, but the address is registered as Central district of Pyungyang. After the death of Kim Il Sung, Hayngsan-gun reverted to North Pyungan Province. When it belonged to Hyangsan-gun of Central district of Pyungyang, the region received about same treatment as Pyongyang, where it use to get a good amount of distribution (of food and supplies) and as hard to enter as Pyungyang. But after the revertion, the living standard became just like normal country side.

▲ Sinchun Chalet

The place where Kim Jong Il often rests with his family and relatives, where he have a gisaeng spree.

▲ ‘No.5 building’ which given to Fujimoto Kenji was smaller than rate and at this time the car that he got was BMW not Benz.

▲ ‘No.5 Building’ in Sinchun

▲ Wonsan Chalet

Where Kim Jong Il and his relatives hunt guillemots or ful seals, enjoy jet ski in winter. Also there are records on Kim’s son or family members came together and that Bochun electronic band actors served them. (Testimony from Fujimoto Kenji, former cook of Kim Jong Il )

▲ Samjiyeon Chalet

Located in Potae Rodongja district, 1 Km west from Samjiyeon town of Samjiyeon-gun in Younggang Province . Because of the geographical features, Kim Il Sung visited the in summer from July to August. Completed in September 1980, gross area is about 950,000 ㎡. It is divided with Samji lakeside villa and Potae emergency office.

▲ 16th June 1990, ‘main Building’ of the guest house in Baekdu Mountain

▲ Yeonpung Ho (Lake) Chalet

The largest among all of Kim Jong Il’s chalets, it is located in Yeonpyeong town in Anju city of South Pyoungan province. After its completion in October 1966, it was renovated once in August 1979.
Gross area is about 300,000㎡, consist with one building of the chalet, ten houses for security and supporting facilities.
This is the chalet Kim Il Sung visited usually in spring, which is well known for having a lakeside fishing spots and the perfect private hunting ground for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. This hunting ground was prepared from 1978, completed in 1984. The private pheasant hunting ground for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is also located in Mujin town of Yeokpo district in Pyongyang.

▲ Changsung Chalet

This is the chalet with gable( ‘人’ shaped roof style) style Korean tiled roof.
In North Korea there is a ‘portrait of business discussion’ which is the picture of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il talking, where this chalet openely taken in this photo. The chalet is located the shore of the Supung lake, a good place for fishing and jet skiing. It is known that there is a underground passage under the Yalu river conneted to the chalet, which connects to a undergound tunnel all to go all the way to China.

▲ 25th August 1990, the private house for chief secretary of Kim Jong Il

▲ 25th August 1990, there’s a parabola antenna on the top of the building. Kim Jong Il installed to watch the satellite channels. It is possible to watch satellite channels not only in Changsung but everywhere that Kim Jong Il stay. And he checked every channel.

▲ 13th September 1990. Taken on the balcony of the Changsung. Upper left in this photo is the ‘main building’

▲ Chalet #72 (Seoho Chalet)

Located in Yeocho of Lakwon-gun, South Hamkyong province, the chalet is the biggest one among the chalets located in northern part of North Korea. The building is built 3 stories below the sea level and seven stories above the sea leve, but the total length of the building will be about the same as the 25 story building (normal building anove ground). This is an unusual building where you can look up to 100m deep into the ocean where it has a resting room under water made of 10cm thick glass.

▲ Guest house No.72, located in Hamhung. There are a beautiful beache, a site of superb scenic beauty from this chalet.

It has Kim Jong Il floor, Kim Kyung Hee floor, and Kim Jung Nam floor and each person used two floors. (Testimony of Lee Han Young, newphew of Kim Jong Il’s former wife) After Kim Jing Nam grew apart from Kim Jong Il’s sight, and Kim Kyung Hee’s relationship with Kim Jong Il was distorted due to the problem with Chang Sung Taek, the use of the building may have changed.

The chalet is divided into House #1, House #2, and House #3. In House #2 and #3, there are Kim Jong Il security department stationed on guard 24 hours. The undergound tunnel of 4.5km is connected to the haeadquarter of the East Sea Navy. The headquarter building is 5 story high where the offiicals of the Budget Management Department board, and at the below level of the building, there are supply storage, refridgerating storage, and different types of storages. (Testimony of Lee Young Kook, Kim Jong Il’s former bodyguard)