Kangdong Residence

Kangdong Residence[1] is the summer retreat and second major residence of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un besides Ryongsong Residence.[2]

Kangdong Residence
Chosŏn'gŭl
강동 관저
Hancha
Revised RomanizationGangdong Gwanjeo
McCune–ReischauerKangdong Kwanjŏ
Pyongyang
Kangdong
Location of Kangdong Residence in North Korea

Location

The residence is located in Kangdong-gun, a suburban county of Pyongyang, around 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Kim Il-sung Square.[3] Taedong River is just 1 km (0.62 mi) to the north.[4] The size of the whole leadership complex is around 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi). According to Kim Jong-il’s former bodyguard Lee Young-kuk there are at least eight North Korean leader’s residences outside Pyongyang.[5]

Description

The compound was constructed in the 1980s and expanded in the 1990s under the order of Kim Jong-il.[6] It contains buildings for Kim Jong-il, his late wife Ko Yong-hui, his sister Kim Kyong-hui and his brother-in-law Jang Sung-taek.[7] The area is mostly used as summer residence, to spend holidays[8] or for parties with close officials.[6] The estate has an elaborate garden, set around many lakes. There are numerous guest houses, and a banqueting hall.[9] The whole compound is a maximum security area, surrounded by two armored fence lines[10] with guards huts and checkpoints, clearly visible on satellite pictures. Kim Jong-il’s former cook Kenji Fujimoto worked and lived in a guest house within the compound and provided some photographs dated 1989.[7] Analysis of satellite pictures showed that the area changed significantly since then and even after 2006 new buildings and a new railway station were established.[11] Defectors reported that in Hyangmok-ri, not far from the residence and from the Mausoleum of Tangun, Kim Jong-un’s birthplace is being built,[12] though he was actually born in Changsong, North Pyongan Province.[13]

Facilities
  • Furnished entertainment facilities with bowling, shooting and roller-skating[7]
  • Horse stables and a racing track[3]
  • Football field[14]
  • Kangdong airfield is 4 km (2.5 mi) south[9]

See also

References
  1. 이, 수경 (January 11, 2010). 김씨 왕조의 실체] 김정일의 호화 별장. Radio Free Asia (in Korean). Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  2. Ramstad, Evan (May 22, 2009). "Gulags, Nukes and a Water Slide: Citizen Spies Lift North Korea's Veil". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  3. "KWP Leadership Compound". Wikimapia. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  4. Lubin, Gus (June 2, 2010). "House of the Day: The Countless Luxury Mansions Of Kim Jong Il". Business Insider. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  5. Macintyre, Donald (February 18, 2002). "The Supremo in His Labyrinth". Time Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  6. "North Korean Special Weapons Facilities: Command and Control". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  7. Han, Young Jin (March 15, 2005). "Kim Jong Il, Where He Sleeps and Where He Works". DailyNK. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  8. "Lavish Mansions of the Late North Korean Despot Kim Jong-Il". Curbed. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  9. Prynne, Miranda (June 21, 2009). "North Korea uncovered: Palaces, labour camps and mass graves". The Independent. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  10. "North Korea by Google Earth: Kim Jong Il's Largest Palace". One Free Korea. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  11. "Kim family Kangdong compound updated". North Korea Economy Watch. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  12. Kim, Yong Hun (July 22, 2011). "Idolization of Kim Jong Eun Began in January 2009". DailyNK. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  13. Shin, Joo Hyun (October 14, 2010). "Kim Jong Eun Birth Manipulation Well Underway". DailyNK. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  14. "Where KJI watches football–and recovers from adverse health events". North Korea Economy Watch. Retrieved December 12, 2012.

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