Housing renovations in Pyongyang have received plenty of attention in the DPRK’s official media, with the above KCNA photo a good example. However, a large-scale redevelopment in Chongjin, the distant capital of North Hamgyong province, has received no official coverage in North Korean media.

Ironically, the only news outlet to have reported on the drastic changes to downtown Chongjin has so far been the Daily NK, which published rumors of mismanagement and political cronyism at the project in August of 2012.

With satellite imagery recently made available on Google Earth we can now confirm that a large scale residential complex