{"id":65036,"date":"2025-09-24T13:50:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T04:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=65036"},"modified":"2025-09-23T13:55:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T04:55:14","slug":"north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\/","title":{"rendered":"N. Korea&#8217;s hydroelectric complex carries deadly legacy from Kim Jong Il era"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">North Korea&#8217;s largest hydroelectric project stretches 90 kilometers along the Chongchon River across three provinces, but the Huichon power plant carries a dark legacy. Kim Jong Il died from heart complications aboard his private train in December 2011 while inspecting the massive facility he had ordered built to solve Pyongyang&#8217;s power shortages \u2014 earning it the grim moniker &#8220;the power plant that killed Kim Jong Il.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The complex in Jagang province began construction in March 2009 as one of Kim Jong Il&#8217;s key projects. North Korea promoted it as a monumental creation that the leader visited eight times before his fatal final trip.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Recent satellite imagery shows the current state of 12 power plants built over six years and eight months during the first and second phases of Huichon power plant construction.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65054\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65054\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-65054 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-5-1068x601.png 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65054\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Huichon Hydroelectric Power Station consists of 12 facilities built along a 90-kilometer waterway spanning three provinces. During the first phase of construction, Kim Jong Il conducted on-site inspections but died from overwork while on his train, earning the power station the nickname &#8220;the power plant that killed Kim Jong Il.&#8221; (Google Earth)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The Huichon power plant consists of 12 facilities numbered 1 through 12, built along a 90-kilometer section of the Chongchon River across three provinces. Plants 1-5 are located in Jagang Province, 6-10 in North Pyongan Province, and 11-12 in South Pyongan province. Construction began in 2009 amid controversy over shoddy workmanship during the building process. Kim Jong Il became enraged and went to provide on-site guidance, where he died suddenly aboard his train. After Kim Jong Il&#8217;s death prevented him from seeing the completion of the first phase, both phases 1 and 2 were finally completed in November 2015, about four years later, with the finishing of the 12th stepped power plant on the Chongchon River.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65056\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65056\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-65056 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide2-2-1068x601.png 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65056\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huichon Power Plants No. 1 and 2 were built during the first phase of construction, while the second phase saw the construction of cascading small and medium-sized power plants from No. 3 onward along the Chongchon River. (Google Earth)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Huichon power plant No. 1 was built in Dongshin county, Jagang province, while plants 2, 3, 4 and 5 were constructed in Huichon, Jagang province. Plant No. 1 is a typical watershed diversion facility that blocks the upstream Jangja River, a tributary of the Yalu River, with the Yongrim Dam and generates electricity by dropping water through a 30-kilometer underground tunnel through the Nangnim Mountains to the upper Chongchon River with high head. Plant No. 2 is a conventional hydroelectric facility that combines water from Plant No. 1 with Chongchon River water to utilize large water volumes. The first phase construction of plants 1 and 2 was completed on April 5, 2012, after Kim Jong Il&#8217;s death. The completion of the massive first phase construction in just three years, which was expected to take more than 10 years, created the &#8220;Huichon spirit&#8221; slogan of speed warfare in North Korea, accomplished &#8220;in one breath.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65057\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65057\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-65057 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide3-1-1068x601.png 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65057\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huichon Power Plants No. 1-5 were built in Jagang province, while No. 6-10 were constructed in North Pyongan province. (Google Earth)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The second phase of Huichon power plant construction began on Jan. 30, 2013. From this point, 10 small and medium-sized power plants were built in stepped fashion along a 77-kilometer section of the Chongchon River spanning Jagang, North Pyongan and South Pyongan provinces.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65058\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65058\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-65058 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide4-1068x601.png 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65058\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The second phase of construction, which involved building cascading small and medium-sized power plants along the Chongchon River, began in January 2013 and was completed at the end of 2015 when Plant No. 12 was finished. (Google Earth)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Four small and medium-sized stepped power plants numbered 6-10 were built in North Pyongan province, while the small and medium-sized plants 11 and 12 were constructed in South Pyongan province. Plant No. 12 was completed on Nov. 17, 2015, finishing the entire second phase of Huichon power plant construction in less than three years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Kim Jong Il died on Dec. 7, 2011. North Korea announced that Kim Jong Il died from myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock complications aboard his private train Taeyangho due to accumulated mental and physical exhaustion while continuing his forced march of on-site guidance at Huichon power plant construction with only &#8220;brief naps and rice balls.&#8221; However, South Korea&#8217;s National Intelligence Service told the parliamentary intelligence committee at the time that Kim Jong Il&#8217;s private train &#8220;remained stopped at Pyongyang&#8217;s Yongsong Station,&#8221; raising questions that differed from North Korea&#8217;s official announcement that Kim Jong Il died while traveling by train. This remains another mystery surrounding Kim Jong Il&#8217;s death.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/20250924-3\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Korea&#8217;s largest hydroelectric project stretches 90 kilometers along the Chongchon River across three provinces, but the Huichon power plant carries a dark legacy. Kim Jong Il died from heart complications aboard his private train in December 2011 while inspecting the massive facility he had ordered built to solve Pyongyang&#8217;s power shortages \u2014 earning it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":65037,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[3236],"class_list":["post-65036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion","tag-bruce-songhak-chung-columns"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>N. Korea&#039;s hydroelectric complex carries deadly legacy from Kim Jong Il era - 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\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"N. Korea&#039;s hydroelectric complex carries deadly legacy from Kim Jong Il era\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"North Korea&#8217;s largest hydroelectric project stretches 90 kilometers along the Chongchon River across three provinces, but the Huichon power plant carries a dark legacy. Kim Jong Il died from heart complications aboard his private train in December 2011 while inspecting the massive facility he had ordered built to solve Pyongyang&#8217;s power shortages \u2014 earning it [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-24T04:50:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-4-1024x576.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bruce Songhak 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=\"Bruce Songhak 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\\\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bruce Songhak Chung\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c339cc714b61bed249d80fbba0476a11\"},\"headline\":\"N. 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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\\\/c339cc714b61bed249d80fbba0476a11\",\"name\":\"Bruce Songhak Chung\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/bruce-s-chung-profile-picture-daily-nk-e1776758604448-150x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/bruce-s-chung-profile-picture-daily-nk-e1776758604448-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/bruce-s-chung-profile-picture-daily-nk-e1776758604448-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Bruce Songhak Chung\"},\"description\":\"Dr. Bruce S. 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\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"N. Korea's hydroelectric complex carries deadly legacy from Kim Jong Il era - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","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\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"N. Korea's hydroelectric complex carries deadly legacy from Kim Jong Il era","og_description":"North Korea&#8217;s largest hydroelectric project stretches 90 kilometers along the Chongchon River across three provinces, but the Huichon power plant carries a dark legacy. Kim Jong Il died from heart complications aboard his private train in December 2011 while inspecting the massive facility he had ordered built to solve Pyongyang&#8217;s power shortages \u2014 earning it [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\/","og_site_name":"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026","article_published_time":"2025-09-24T04:50:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Slide1-4-1024x576.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Bruce Songhak Chung","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bruce Songhak Chung","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korea-hydroelectric-complex-carries-deadly-legacy-kim-jong-il-era\/"},"author":{"name":"Bruce Songhak Chung","@id":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/#\/schema\/person\/c339cc714b61bed249d80fbba0476a11"},"headline":"N. 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