Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –
Kim Jong-un started construction of 10 thousand apartments in Pyongyang though North Korea was hit by a crisis that left other projects neglected.
“Nothing is more valuable, honorable and happy than dedicating our sweat and passion to building this ideal path,” Kim said while attending the project’s opening ceremony on Tuesday (23/3).
As reported KCNAKim later said that the government decided to continue the project because they wanted to improve the people’s standard of living.
The construction is part of Kim’s big dream project to build 50,000 new apartments in Pyongyang in the next five years.
When designing this project, Kim was indeed ambitious to improve the North Korean economy. However, observers consider this ambition too high considering that North Korea is currently in crisis, especially because of international sanctions related to their nuclear program.
Furthermore, the United Nations also warned of the danger of food shortages in North Korea due to government mismanagement in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a number of natural disasters that hit the country.
“The risk is very high for Kim Jong-un to start a major construction project when even another important country project is seriously delayed,” said Chad O’Carroll, CEO of North Korean monitoring firm Korea Risk Group.
However, O’Carroll thinks this project can also be a bright spot for North Korea, which is facing a crisis due to border closures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“These new apartments require a supply of construction materials from abroad, which may only be available if North Korea starts allowing imports again,” said O’Carroll.
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