On Kim Il Sung’s birthday, Kim Jong Un attended the completion ceremony of Mars District Phase 3, part of Pyongyang’s ‘New Town’ areas.
On Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the completion ceremony for 10,000 residential units in Mars District Phase 3 occurred the previous day.
The ceremony was attended by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Prime Minister Pak Tahe Song, Kim Tok Hun, secretary of the Workers’ Party Central Committee, key party and government officials, construction workers, and Pyongyang residents.
After cutting the ribbon at the ceremony, Kim Jong Un met future residents, including workers, seniors, and military and civilian innovators involved in Pyongyang’s housing construction, offering encouragement.
According to the news agency, Kim Jong Un apologized for only providing such modern housing now. He added that seeing the citizens filled with joy and excitement strengthened his resolve to take on more work for the people.
At the ceremony, Kim Tok Hun stated that with the completion of Mars District Phase 3, the area secured comprehensive political, economic, and cultural functions befitting an administrative region. He added that it would serve as a model for modernising existing areas of the capital.
North Korea announced plans to build 50,000 housing units in Pyongyang over five years during the 8th Workers’ Party Congress in January 2021, completing Songhwa Street the following year.
The regime completed 10,000 housing units in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Mars District in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and has now finished the construction of 10,000 residential units in Phase 3.
Kim Jong Un consistently attended the construction site for the 50,000 housing units in Pyongyang, demonstrating his commitment to the project.
This marks his fourth visit to the Mars District Phase 3 construction site, following the groundbreaking ceremony last year and inspections in March and April.
North Korea held the Mars District Phase 3 completion ceremony on Kim Il Sung’s birthday, the country’s most significant holiday, to maximize regime consolidation and appease public sentiment.
In March, the news agency reported that Kim Jong Un instructed the organization of a grand completion ceremony ahead of the Sun’s Day, the nation’s greatest holiday.
