{"id":325409,"date":"2026-08-05T18:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T09:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=325409"},"modified":"2026-08-05T12:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T03:49:57","slug":"satellite-images-show-pyongyang-glowing-outskirts-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/satellite-images-show-pyongyang-glowing-outskirts-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Satellite images show Pyongyang glowing, outskirts dark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

North Korea’s capital has grown noticeably brighter at night over the past six years, but the added light is concentrated almost entirely downtown. Most of the city’s outskirts remain steeped in darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I compared monthly average nighttime light satellite imagery <\/a>captured between April 2020 and April 2026. The data come from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), an instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite, which is jointly operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The satellite photographs the Earth at roughly the same time each night, around 1:30 a.m. I used monthly averages rather than single-night images to reduce distortion from clouds, moonlight and other atmospheric conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timeframe covers North Korea’s 50,000-home construction project<\/a> in Pyongyang. Leader Kim Jong Un announced the plan at the Eighth Party Congress in 2021, which called for 10,000 new homes a year in districts across the capital. This February, the project reached its fourth phase in Hwasong district, cementing it as one of the regime’s signature initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New apartment complexes and high-rise buildings have gone up in a short span, transforming Pyongyang’s skyline and its nighttime lighting. Some observers have raised concerns about shoddy construction given the rushed pace and inadequate infrastructure; however, the monthly satellite data show a clear expansion in nighttime lighting. Both the area and brightness of light centered on downtown Pyongyang increased. I assess this as evidence that the regime prioritized electricity <\/a>for newly built streets and the city center. The goal appears to be showcasing its achievements, and the trend offers a way to gauge Pyongyang’s physical expansion and shifts in nighttime economic activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nighttime<\/a>
A comparison of monthly average nighttime light satellite imagery shows that Pyongyang’s lit area expanded about 2.4 times between April 2020 and April 2026, with downtown brightness increasing markedly over the six-year period. \/ Images: Nighttime light imagery (VIIRS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I compared monthly average nighttime light data from April 2020 and April 2026. Pyongyang’s lit area grew by about 2.4 times, and overall brightness increased by about 3.4 times over the same period. Radiance values quantify the light energy captured by the satellite. Based on those values, the downtown area’s lit footprint expanded from 21,315 hectares, or 11.5% of the city, to 50,995 hectares, or 27.6%. Total brightness rose from 4,320 to 14,886. Despite being the capital, Pyongyang’s outskirts remain largely steeped in deep darkness, and lighting is concentrated around core downtown areas such as Jung and Moranbong districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When describing this kind of satellite data, nighttime light imagery is the more accurate term, not nighttime illuminance. Illuminance measures how much light reaches and brightens a surface, in lux. Nighttime light imagery instead captures the light sources themselves, such as streetlamps or apartment windows, as they radiate into space. That makes nighttime light data a useful tool for assessing a region’s economic activity or power infrastructure. The intensity of artificial light serves as the indicator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In sum, my analysis found that both the area and brightness of Pyongyang’s nighttime lighting expanded over the past six years. The 50,000-home project sharply increased the size of the city’s downtown over that period. This does not appear to reflect a broad improvement in the country’s overall power supply; instead, it looks like a deliberate choice by the regime. Officials concentrated nighttime lighting on newly built, propaganda-friendly streets and the city center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Map<\/a>
Applying a satellite data analysis technique to examine changes in lighting, 26.5% of Pyongyang’s total area saw an increase in nighttime lighting, while most outlying areas remain steeped in deep darkness. \/ Images: Nighttime light imagery (VIIRS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Where has Pyongyang’s nighttime light changed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I applied an image differencing technique to examine how Pyongyang’s nighttime lighting shifted between April 2020 and April 2026. The method compares brightness values at the same location across two time points to identify change. The analysis found that nighttime light increased noticeably across 26.5% of the city’s total area. That increase was concentrated mainly in downtown areas, including Jung district, which indicates that electricity allocation and urban expansion were focused on the city center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of Pyongyang’s outskirts showed little to no change in nighttime lighting over the six years. These areas, which account for 73.2% of the city’s total area, remain steeped in deep darkness. I attribute this largely to the fact that many outlying areas had little or no nighttime lighting to begin with, which left them dark in both periods. Downtown Pyongyang grew brighter, but the outskirts have kept the same low levels of lighting. This points to a stark divide in power supply even within the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a small share of areas, about 0.3% of Pyongyang’s total area, I found an intriguing decrease in nighttime light. The areas that dimmed include support facilities at Sunan International Airport, a quarry in Ryongsong district and a chicken farm in Sadong district. Parts of the downtown streetscape also dimmed. This decline may reflect changes in how those facilities operate their lighting, or reductions in their power use. Nighttime satellite imagery alone cannot pinpoint the exact cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korea’s power grid still runs on hydropower and coal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

North Korea continues to rely on a traditional power generation structure.<\/a> Hydropower is the primary source, with thermal power playing a secondary role. The regime has recently promoted renewable energy such as solar power, but its actual share of generation remains minimal, at under 1% to 2%. North Korea’s total annual power generation is believed to sit at only 4% to 5% of South Korea’s output, which amounts to roughly 24 billion to 25.5 billion kilowatt-hours. Hydropower accounts for about 60% of the country’s total electricity. That makes the system especially vulnerable to climate factors such as drought and the winter dry season. Deforestation has also caused sediment to build up behind dams, and aging generator components have left hydropower plants running at an actual utilization rate of only 20% to 30%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with a shortage of state-supplied power, North Korean people have resorted to installing small solar panels on apartment balconies. The panels power lights at night. It is an ad hoc, self-reliant response. But the low quality of the panels limits their efficiency, and they do little to stabilize the industrial power grid. Wind power remains limited to small-scale turbines because of a lack of technology and funding, producing little electricity. Compounding the problem, aging transmission lines and substation equipment are lossy. An estimated 30% to 40% of the power generated at plants is lost during distribution. North Korea remains trapped in an energy cycle defined by an unstable hydropower system and low-efficiency private solar power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korea’s overall power generation has remained stagnant. Even so, Pyongyang’s nighttime brightness has increased sharply over the past six years. I attribute this to the regime squeezing electricity from the provinces and redirecting it to the capital. Officials have given the capital top priority in electricity allocation. The aim is to showcase newly built apartment complexes and high-rises as achievements of the state. Power that should go to provincial cities, rural areas and general industrial facilities is instead concentrated in downtown Pyongyang. The capital monopolizes the supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside the main downtown districts, most of Pyongyang’s outskirts remain locked in deep darkness at night. So does most of the rest of the country. In nighttime satellite imagery, Pyongyang shines alone like an island. That is not a sign of an improving economy. I believe this is a product of Kim Jong Un’s uneven allocation of resources. The regime has drained energy from the provinces to forcibly light up the capital’s new towns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

North Korea’s capital has grown noticeably brighter at night over the past six years, but the added light is concentrated almost entirely downtown. Most of the city’s outskirts remain steeped in darkness. I compared monthly average nighttime light satellite imagery captured between April 2020 and April 2026. The data come from the Visible Infrared Imaging […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":325411,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[1300,1331,1405,1425,1712,274,724,855,1002],"class_list":["post-325409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion","tag-hwasong","tag-eighth-party-congress","tag-satellite-imagery","tag-satellite","tag-infrastructure","tag-pyongyang","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-housing","tag-electricity"],"yoast_head":"\nSatellite images show Pyongyang glowing, outskirts dark - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026<\/title>\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\/satellite-images-show-pyongyang-glowing-outskirts-dark\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Satellite images show Pyongyang glowing, outskirts dark\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"North Korea’s capital has grown noticeably brighter at night over the past six years, but the added light is concentrated almost entirely downtown. 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Chung previously worked for the Korea Forest Research Institute and the South Korean government\u2019s intelligence agency, and is currently the head of the Satellite Analysis Center at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy. Bruce received his Ph.D. in remote sensing and GIS from the University of Idaho in the United States. He can be reached at chungsh1024@naver.com.","url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/author\/jungsonghak\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325409","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\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325409"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":325420,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325409\/revisions\/325420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}