“I can't cheer for the Workers' Party”... Residents who failed to move into Songhwa Street in Pyongyang express dissatisfaction

Lee Jong-woo,

former North Korean Workers' Party judicial prosecutor

Pyongyang's Songhwa Street, touted by North Korea as one of Kim Jong-un's achievements, is suffering from controversy over residential discrimination among residents. Although Songhwa-dong, where the new apartments are located, belongs to the Sado District of Pyongyang, the actual residents are limited to those living in the city center. 

According to a Pyongyang City source on the 8th, a resident of Songsin 2-dong in Sado District had been waiting for a long time for housing but was not assigned an apartment after the completion of Songhwa Street.

The resident reportedly expressed frustration, saying, “Why did they raise our expectations from the beginning if only residents from the central area were eligible for housing?” and “I cannot bring myself to shout ‘Long live the Workers’ Party!'” 

Songhwa Street is a new town developed across Songsin 1 and 2-dong and Songhwa 1 and 2-dong in Sado District. Under the name “Songsin-Songhwa District,” the North Korean authorities carried out large-scale development in the area, concentrating on the construction of large-scale high-rise apartments and public facilities ahead of the Sun Festival (April 15), Kim Il-sung's birthday, in 2022, following Kim Jong-un's instructions.

State-run media outlets such as the Korean Central News Agency touted that “a large-scale residential complex with over 10,000 households, including an 80-story skyscraper, has been built,” but it is reported that the majority of existing residents in the area were excluded from eligibility to move into the new city apartments.

Only Songsin 1-dong was classified as an urban residential area, while the remaining Songsin 2-dong and Songhwa 1-dong and 2-dong were deemed “peripheral areas” and thus ineligible for residency, according to multiple sources familiar with North Korea.

One source said, “They talked as if housing assignments would be made for the entire Sado District, but in reality, the housing went only to those in the central area. Residents of the Sado District are being treated like outsiders even though they live in the new city.”

It appears that North Korean authorities have strictly distinguished between eligible residents since the early stages of Songhwa-gil construction. According to internal government documents, some residents in the Sadoong District, where many households faced housing issues, were initially included on the list but were mostly excluded in the final allocation stage. This was due to an internal guideline stating, “Central zone and peripheral zone residents cannot be mixed.”

This effectively means that newly constructed apartments are allocated only to residents of central Pyongyang, while those in outlying areas are excluded. A North Korea expert pointed out, “The North Korean-style class system, known as the ‘social class system,’ still influences housing allocation. In North Korea, even a single apartment is allocated based on loyalty to the regime and bloodline.”

The 80-story skyscraper apartment building, a representative symbol of Songhwa Street, is also not free from controversy. Although it was completed in record time with the deployment of military construction troops, testimonies continue to emerge that most of the actual residents are not high-ranking officials but ordinary working-class people.

Low-income residents living in the high-rise buildings complain that they are “trapped in a showpiece apartment building” due to the reality that the elevators do not function properly.

Especially during the winter preparation season, there are many complaints that high-rise residents have to endure hardships carrying water and fuel. When the authorities guaranteed electricity for elevators during certain hours, residents reportedly responded, “Pyongyang still only cares about people in the city center.”

Since taking power, Kim Jong-un has continued to develop new cities like the Future Scientists Street and Ryomyong Street through a “speed campaign.” Songhwa Street was also part of what's called a “achievement-oriented” project to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birth.

However, the controversy over residential discrimination surrounding Songhwa Street is actually amplifying internal divisions and dissatisfaction, according to analysis.