{"id":324889,"date":"2026-06-22T05:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T20:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=324889"},"modified":"2026-06-19T13:20:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T04:20:37","slug":"pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind Pyongyang&#8217;s showcase streets, satellite images reveal neighborhoods left behind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\">High-resolution satellite imagery analyzed in 2026 reveals the true condition of two long-neglected neighborhoods in central Pyongyang: Tungme-dong in Sonkyo district and Worrhyang-dong in Moran Hill district. Hidden behind the capital&#8217;s gleaming main thoroughfares, both areas are defined by densely packed single-story homes, deteriorating low-rise apartment blocks, and basic infrastructure in a state of serious disrepair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\">A Daily NK source reports that North Korean authorities have formally launched what is being described internally as a &#8220;capital-area dilapidated district renovation project,&#8221; also referred to as the &#8220;Tungme and Worrhyang-dong residential housing construction project.&#8221; The goal, the source says, is to tear down and redevelop the most visually conspicuous pockets of urban decay in central Pyongyang, a move authorities frame as the next stage of the Kim Jong Un era&#8217;s capital construction drive.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"><strong>Satellite imagery shows two worlds inside one city<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_324891\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-324891\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-324891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg\" alt=\"Satellite image of Tungme-dong in Sonkyo District, Pyongyang, showing dense single-story dwellings mixed with factories and industrial facilities, Feb. 6, 2026\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-324891\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tungme-dong in Sonkyo District, Pyongyang, is packed with aging single-story homes interspersed with large factory sites and warehouses, leaving the neighborhood with severely underdeveloped infrastructure. \/ Photo: Google Earth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\">Satellite analysis of Tungme-dong in Sonkyo district shows a neighborhood that has changed little in decades. Single-story homes are packed tightly together across the left-center and upper-right sections of the area, their rooftops nearly touching. Narrow, labyrinthine alleyways run between them, bearing no resemblance to the planned residential blocks found elsewhere in the capital. Large factory sites and long warehouse-style structures are interspersed directly among the housing, with no buffer or separation. Green space is essentially absent, and the density of the old housing stock suggests that road access, sewage, and other basic utilities are severely underdeveloped throughout the district.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_324892\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-324892\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-324892\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024.jpg\" alt=\"Satellite image of Worryang-dong in Moranbong District, Pyongyang, showing dense single-story dwellings near the Arc of Triumph roundabout and Kim Il Sung Stadium, March 17, 2024\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-worryang-dong-moranbong-district-satellite-imagery-2024-1068x601.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-324892\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Worryang-dong in Moranbong District, Pyongyang, sits just steps from the Arc of Triumph roundabout and Kim Il Sung Stadium, yet its interior is packed with faded single-story homes and aging low-rise apartments that stand in stark contrast to the surrounding streetscape. \/ Photo: Google Earth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\">The picture in Worrhyang-dong, in Moran Hill district, is one of sharp contrasts. The right and lower sections of the satellite frame show the Arc of Triumph roundabout and Kim Il Sung Stadium, two of Pyongyang&#8217;s most recognizable landmarks, flanked by wide, well-maintained boulevards. Yet just one block back from those main roads, the interior of Worrhyang-dong is packed with faded single-story homes and aging low-rise apartments that appear completely untouched by the redevelopment projects that have transformed other parts of the city. The gap between Pyongyang&#8217;s public face and its backstreets is visible from space.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"><strong>A project tied to Kim Jong Un&#8217;s urban image drive<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\">North Korean authorities are framing the renovation campaign as something more ambitious than routine housing upgrades. The project is explicitly linked to the broader ideological drive, known in North Korea as the &#8220;people-first principle,&#8221; which the Kim Jong Un leadership has used as its central governing slogan. Under that banner, authorities have in recent years built a series of high-profile residential streets including Hwasong Street and Songhwa Street, each styled as a showcase of Kim-era construction achievements. The growing visual contrast between those new developments and the aging districts that surround them appears to have made areas like Tungme-dong and Worrhyang-dong an increasing liability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\">The current project appears to have partial roots in an earlier plan from around 2020 that would have created a &#8220;Kim Jong Suk Street&#8221; in Pyongyang&#8217;s central district, combining a new signature thoroughfare with propaganda slogans tied to Kim Jong Un&#8217;s late mother. That concept has since been set aside. The current project drops the personalized ideological branding in favor of more functional language focused on housing construction and residential environment improvement, a shift that analysts say reflects the Kim Jong Un administration&#8217;s preference for presenting urban development as a practical governance achievement rather than a tribute to the founding family&#8217;s revolutionary lineage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\">The result is a redevelopment push that is now moving inward. Rather than continuing to expand the capital&#8217;s footprint on its outskirts, North Korean planners are now targeting the aging residential core, with the stated aim of giving Pyongyang&#8217;s image a comprehensive overhaul.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/20260615-3\/\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>High-resolution satellite imagery analyzed in 2026 reveals the true condition of two long-neglected neighborhoods in central Pyongyang: Tungme-dong in Sonkyo district and Worrhyang-dong in Moran Hill district. Hidden behind the capital&#8217;s gleaming main thoroughfares, both areas are defined by densely packed single-story homes, deteriorating low-rise apartment blocks, and basic infrastructure in a state of serious [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":324891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[140,724,962,1405],"class_list":["post-324889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion","tag-construction","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-modernization","tag-satellite-imagery"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Satellite imagery exposes Pyongyang&#039;s blighted neighborhoods<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Satellite images reveal two neglected Pyongyang neighborhoods targeted for demolition as North Korea pushes to modernize its capital&#039;s image.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behind Pyongyang&#039;s showcase streets, satellite images reveal neighborhoods left behind\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Satellite images reveal two neglected Pyongyang neighborhoods targeted for demolition as North Korea pushes to modernize its capital&#039;s image.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-21T20:59:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8c42f602036c940c0698757afc220b6a\"},\"headline\":\"Behind Pyongyang&#8217;s showcase streets, satellite images reveal neighborhoods left behind\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-21T20:59:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":704,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"construction\",\"kim jong un\",\"modernization\",\"satellite imagery\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis &amp; Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/\",\"name\":\"Satellite imagery exposes Pyongyang's blighted neighborhoods\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-21T20:59:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Satellite images reveal two neglected Pyongyang neighborhoods targeted for demolition as North Korea pushes to modernize its capital's image.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Tungme-dong in Sonkyo District, Pyongyang, is packed with aging single-story homes interspersed with large factory sites and warehouses, leaving the neighborhood with severely underdeveloped infrastructure. \\\/ Photo: Google Earth\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Behind Pyongyang&#8217;s showcase streets, satellite images reveal neighborhoods left behind\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\",\"name\":\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Daily NK English\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/top_logo@1x.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/top_logo@1x.png\",\"width\":272,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"Daily NK English\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"description\":\"An independent online news organization based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on internal North Korean affairs through a network of in-country sources and defector journalists. Part of the Unification Media Group (UMG) consortium.\",\"email\":\"dailynkenglish@uni-media.net\",\"telephone\":\"82-2-732-6998\",\"legalName\":\"DailyNK\",\"foundingDate\":\"2004-12-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8c42f602036c940c0698757afc220b6a\",\"name\":\"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp\",\"caption\":\"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung\"},\"description\":\"Lee Sang-yong is the head of Daily NK's AND (Archiving North Korea Data) Center and previously spent a number of years working as one of the publication's foreign correspondents in China. He can be reached at sylee(at)uni-media.net. \\\/\\\/ Dr. Bruce S. Chung previously worked for South Korea's National Institute of Forest Science and the Intelligence Agency of Satellite Image Analysis, and is now the head of the Satellite Analysis Center at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy. He received his Ph.D. in Remote Sensing and GIS from the University of Idaho in 1992, an M.S. from Seoul National University in 1986, and a B.A. from Chungbuk National University in 1982. He can be reached at chungsh1024(at)naver.com.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/author\\\/leesangyongbruce\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Satellite imagery exposes Pyongyang's blighted neighborhoods","description":"Satellite images reveal two neglected Pyongyang neighborhoods targeted for demolition as North Korea pushes to modernize its capital's image.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Behind Pyongyang's showcase streets, satellite images reveal neighborhoods left behind","og_description":"Satellite images reveal two neglected Pyongyang neighborhoods targeted for demolition as North Korea pushes to modernize its capital's image.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/","og_site_name":"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","article_published_time":"2026-06-21T20:59:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/"},"author":{"name":"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/8c42f602036c940c0698757afc220b6a"},"headline":"Behind Pyongyang&#8217;s showcase streets, satellite images reveal neighborhoods left behind","datePublished":"2026-06-21T20:59:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/"},"wordCount":704,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg","keywords":["construction","kim jong un","modernization","satellite imagery"],"articleSection":["Analysis &amp; Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/","name":"Satellite imagery exposes Pyongyang's blighted neighborhoods","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-21T20:59:00+00:00","description":"Satellite images reveal two neglected Pyongyang neighborhoods targeted for demolition as North Korea pushes to modernize its capital's image.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/06\/pyongyang-tungme-dong-sonkyo-district-satellite-imagery-2026-1.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"Tungme-dong in Sonkyo District, Pyongyang, is packed with aging single-story homes interspersed with large factory sites and warehouses, leaving the neighborhood with severely underdeveloped infrastructure. \/ Photo: Google Earth"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/pyongyang-redevelopment-satellite-imagery-blighted-neighborhoods\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Behind Pyongyang&#8217;s showcase streets, satellite images reveal neighborhoods left behind"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/","name":"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#organization","name":"Daily NK English","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/top_logo@1x.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/top_logo@1x.png","width":272,"height":90,"caption":"Daily NK English"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"description":"An independent online news organization based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on internal North Korean affairs through a network of in-country sources and defector journalists. Part of the Unification Media Group (UMG) consortium.","email":"dailynkenglish@uni-media.net","telephone":"82-2-732-6998","legalName":"DailyNK","foundingDate":"2004-12-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"1","maxValue":"10"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/8c42f602036c940c0698757afc220b6a","name":"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/9f4cf0f24b376077a2fcdab2e85c3584-150x150.webp","caption":"Lee Sang-yong, Bruce Sunghak Chung"},"description":"Lee Sang-yong is the head of Daily NK's AND (Archiving North Korea Data) Center and previously spent a number of years working as one of the publication's foreign correspondents in China. He can be reached at sylee(at)uni-media.net. \/\/ Dr. Bruce S. Chung previously worked for South Korea's National Institute of Forest Science and the Intelligence Agency of Satellite Image Analysis, and is now the head of the Satellite Analysis Center at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy. He received his Ph.D. in Remote Sensing and GIS from the University of Idaho in 1992, an M.S. from Seoul National University in 1986, and a B.A. from Chungbuk National University in 1982. He can be reached at chungsh1024(at)naver.com.","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/author\/leesangyongbruce\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324889"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":324897,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324889\/revisions\/324897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}