North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently initiated a construction project in his private forest across from his highly secure Pyongyang office building, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, signaling his continued priority on upgrading personal facilities or those for trusted officials.

The new construction marks at least the eighth major project inside Kim’s work compound in the last five years, following projects to build a slew of luxurious mansions and modern offices for important departments.

Planet Labs imagery shows that an existing building just inside the northern security gate of the Workers’ Party of Korea complex was demolished between July 10 and 19, and new foundations appeared in its place by July 27. Higher-resolution imagery is required in order to more precisely determine the nature of the project.

It is highly possible that state media will never publicly disclose the purpose of the new construction, though images may eventually be released without context, as when photos of the giant new Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) facilities appeared in a 2022 propaganda film. 

The function of the demolished building also remains unclear. South Korean media outlets have labeled it, or a smaller building next door, the home of Kim Jong Un’s late mother Ko Yong Hui and later his personal office in the years before he took over as leader. 

In the past, analysts have identified a circular building next door but outside the northern security gate as an elite metro station named “Namsan Station” and entrance to a private Kim family underground road system, but there is a lack of corroborating evidence for these claims. 

A comparison of Umbra Labs SAR (synthetic aperture radar) imagery taken throughout July suggests this circular building has not been demolished. 

The most recent prior construction project in the highly secure Pyongyang party complex involved the demolition last October of what 38 North DPRK Digital Atlas labeled the “Kim Il-sung Revolutionary History Institute” and the construction of a similar-sized building in its place by late June. 

Other projects in the last five years include:

• July 2022 – A new underground facility across from the back entrance to Kim Jong Un’s main office building and remodeling of a building possibly associated with a new bodyguard unit
• March 2022 – A new mansion and other buildings directly surrounding Kim’s main office
• Nov. 2021 – Five new small mansions, possibly awarded to top associates
• Sept. 2021 – Four new large mansions, possibly for close family or associates 
• Jan. 2021 – Upgrades to Kim’s main office building
• April 2020 – New, more robust security gates around the complex perimeter
• Feb. 2020 – A new large building next to Kim’s office, replacing what was once labeled a private clinic
• Dec. 2018 – Large new multi-story office buildings, including the OGD facilities

Edited by Alannah Hill