Expert: Individual catalysts can help Pyongyang develop | NK News
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September 29, 2026Sep 29, 2026

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Expert: Individual catalysts can help Pyongyang develop

Rapid Beijing- or Seoul-style rapid growth not realistic, carries side-effects

When change comes to Pyongyang, the China model is neither desirable nor realistic, an author and expert on urban spaces told NK News.

In the second part of his interview, Dongwoo Yim, author of Pyongyang and Pyongyang After, said that rather than the large-scale urban development the PRC embraced, North Korea should instead pursue a “catalytic project”; a few projects which may stimulate development that the government can proceed with without a master plan.

He suggested that Pyongyang will not develop at the speed of Beijing or Seoul, but that a slower development has its own advantages.

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