‘Future’ not so bright after all

With the completion of apartments at the
Mirae (future) Scientists’ Street, units are being allotted to residents, but the lack of heat and electricity in the new facilities have made few enthusiastic about moving in amid plunging temperatures. 

Built within the span of six months in the center of Pyongyang, North Korea has been widely promoting its
new Mirae Scientists Street as a “modern complex with thousands of homes
and some 150 commercial buildings.”  However, people have criticized the lack of consideration
for power supply. Also, in light of a major apartment collapse last year that
led to hundreds of casualties
, potential Pyongyang residents have been more
concerned than excited about moving in.
 

“The state has been calling them ‘slick’
new apartments and promoting them as love for the public, but residents who
have received allotments are saying that looks are deceiving, and they have
been reluctant about moving in,” a source from Pyongyang told Daily NK in a
telephone conversation. “The apartments were newly built in time to commemorate
the Party’s 70th foundation anniversary, but the hot water and heating system
are not working properly.”
 

An additional source in the capital
corroborated this news.
 

Rumors are spreading about these
malfunctions, leading to a drop in prices of the property traded by donju [new
affluent middle class]. Especially scientists and researchers assigned to these homes have been wary about moving in, saying their previous
homes are much better than the new ones that have central heating, according to
the source.
 

“The new apartments are being assigned to
well-known scientists and researchers at universities in Pyongyang and other
science technology research institutes,” she said.
 

“In the beginning, people were worried
about being left off the list, but facing trouble with heating in the winter
and a lack of water supply, they now regret handing over their old homes to
others.”
 

Most people living outside of the Pyongchon
district, where Pyongyang’s power plant is located, are worried about the peak
of the winter cold, and people are becoming increasingly vocal about their
complaints, saying they much prefer the ondol (Korean floor heating system)
homes as opposed to the new central heating powered by hot water.
 

“Most scientists and researchers are
relatively old and prefer their old-fashioned low-rise apartments compared to
the 30 to 40-story buildings,” the source added. “Some have even given up their
right to live there to others, saying they can’t fathom walking up and down the
stairs, given the elevators so frequently don’t run because of chronic power
shortages.”
 

These concerns are not unfounded, as many
residents who have moved into apartments around Gwangbok [liberation] Street,
Munsu Street, and Tongil [unification] Street that were completed decades ago
have faced similar results: no heating or hot water and shortages in power and
running water.
 

According to the source, the vast majority
of people in those compounds are said to temporarily move in with their
relatives in the winter, where they can get heating from briquettes instead.
 

*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group.