Kim Jong-un's Proudly Declared 53-Story Apartment in Pyongyang Faces Collapse Risk After 10 Years
The 53-story apartment in Pyongyang, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hailed as a "palace-like residence," is now at risk of collapse, having been completed less than a decade ago.
Known as a symbolic building in the Science and Technology Street, the apartment has developed cracks on its exterior, causing anxiety among residents.
On the 24th, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, citing sources from residents in Najin, that "residents living in the tallest 53-story apartment in Pyongyang's Science and Technology Street are worried that the building might collapse."
This apartment, completed in 2015 in the Pyokchon area, is advertised as a representative structure built by Kim Jong-un's regime for scientists.
According to RFA, multiple cracks have appeared on various parts of the apartment's exterior, and there are ongoing issues with falling cement and tiles.
Some residents are reportedly terrified, recalling the 2014 collapse of a 23-story apartment building in Pyongyang.
Concerns over poor construction amidst a rush to build… Authorities remain unresponsive despite residents' anxieties.
Science and Technology Street is the first residential area developed in the center of Pyongyang since Kim Jong-un took power, and North Korean authorities have heavily promoted it as a "top-tier residential complex."
Kim Jong-un personally named the complex and boasted about it as a "palace-like residence," particularly praising the symbolic tower shaped like the Earth and a satellite installed at the top of the 53-story apartment.
One resident told RFA, "Rumors about the tiles falling have circulated since 2-3 years ago, and recently, more residents have reported cracks in the walls."
This resident explained, "This winter has been particularly cold, and it seems that the freezing and thawing of the exterior walls have caused the wall cracks."
Although residents have filed complaints with the authorities, it is reported that there has been no substantial response.
Sources have indicated, "Currently, Pyongyang city is fully focused on constructing 50,000 housing units, so there seems to be no capacity to address the issues with already completed buildings."
Experts have identified North Korea’s "speed construction" method as a primary cause of such situations. It is known that the apartment was completed in just nine months with the involvement of military units rather than professional construction firms.
Image source: Apartment located on the Pyongyang Science and Technology Street / News (Joint Photo Coverage Team), Pyongyang Science and Technology Street / News (Joint Photo Coverage Team)
