This combined photo, provided by North Korea’s ruling party organ Rodong Sinmun on Jan. 26, 2017, shows a new developed district under construction in Pyongyang, named “Ryomyong Street.” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un toured the construction site, ordering the project to be completed by April 15, the birth anniversary of late founder Kim Il-song, according to the newspaper. (Yonhap)
https://twitter.com/pearswick/status/742540088844783616
It was reportedly bulldozed because Kim Jong-un said it reminded him of his executed uncle Jang Song-taek. Like many anonymous reports out of North Korea who knows?
Is anyone shocked that yet another business venture in South Korea is facing financial difficulties?:
The founder of a unique university in North Korea is under scrutiny after the university suffered a series of financial difficulties, according to a source in the country.
Kim Chin-kyung, a U.S. citizen, founded Pyongyang University of Science and Technology with the cooperation of North and South Korean institutions, South Korean news service CBS No Cut News reported.
But the North Korean government is looking to replace Kim.
The source said dwindling funds from South Korea and the United States have contributed to the financial shortfall at the university.
PUST used to operate on a $100,000 monthly budget but that number was down to $50,000, the source said.
A loan Kim secured to build facilities on campus in late 2000 has yet to be paid, and an agreement to replace a 60,000-volt transformer at the school by Oct. 10, 2015, the anniversary to commemorate the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea, was never fulfilled, according to the source. [UPI]
You can read more at the link.
North Korea launches fireworks in Pyongyang on Jan. 8, 2015 to celebrate its H-bomb test conducted on Jan. 6. (Yonhap)
All the information is coming from any anonymous source so who knows how true this claim is? If it is true it should come as no surprise considering how badly people are treated by the Kim regime much less animals in a zoo:
Exotic animals, including Persian leopards that North Koreareceived from Russia as a gift, are languishing at Pyongyang Central Zoo, according to a source on the country.
A breakdown in ventilation or air-conditioning facilities, most likely due to frequent power outages in North Korea, has contributed to the suffocation of some of the animals, in addition to poor zoo management, South Korean news network Channel A reported Wednesday.
Pyongyang Central Zoo was one of many North Korean institutions that had received special instructions from Kim Jong Un ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers’ Party.
But a source, speaking to South Korea media on the condition of anonymity, said that the “self-designed” ventilation facilities devised by North Korean engineers were not suitable for the purposes of animal husbandry, and new construction could not be completed on deadline. Dozens of animals also suffocated when air-conditioning recently stopped running for four hours, the source said.
Aquatic animals scheduled to perform on Oct. 10, the Workers’ Party anniversary, also perished. Casualties included the zoo’s sea lions, seals and dolphins, according to the source.
The gift of animals from Russia to North Korea, delivered in May, included the leopards, African lions, striped hyenas and long-tailed parakeets and were sent to commemorate the North Korean anniversary. [UPI]
You can read the rest at the link.
https://twitter.com/pearswick/status/613867812486905857
To much fanfare in North Korea, Kim Jong-un has opened Pyongyang’s new international airport:
North Korea has finished building an international airport terminal, state media reported Thursday, and photos show leader Kim Jong Un inspecting rather swanky amenities that include a jewelry store, a pharmacy and a coffee bar with — is that a chocolate fountain?
It was unclear what international assistance impoverished North Korea received for constructing the two-story terminal, or how much it cost. A 30-photo slide show published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency showed Kim touring the terminal with his wife and a group of about a dozen people. Numerous photos showed the entourage in various states of laughter.
The facility, which also has a new control tower, will open July 1, the agency said. It replaces a terminal that dated to the 1950s and may be part of efforts by Kim to increase the country’s appeal to tourists and earn foreign currency [LA Times]
You can read the rest at the link.
Probably the most interesting thing about this airport is not where the money came from, but the fact he had its architect executed last year as part of one of his purges to consolidate power.
In this photo, exclusively obtained and released on June 12, 2015 by local radio station BBS, black smoke and flames billow from a bridge between the 43rd floors of Koryo Hotel in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on the previous day. The fire had broken out at the hotel frequented by foreigners, without any information being provided on casualties or property damage, reports said on June 12, 2015. The fire appears to have been extinguished, according to The Associated Press. (Yonhap)
A foreign runner is cheered by North Korean spectators during an annual marathon in Pyongyang on April 12, 2015, in this photo released by the North’s Korean Central News Agency. The marathon, which drew about 650 foreigners, was held as one of the events marking the 103rd birth anniversary of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung, which falls on April 15. (Yonhap)
