A large-scale construction project located immediately south of Ryomyong Street in Pyongyang has advanced rapidly since September 2017, satellite imagery of the site shows.

Exclusive aerial images of Pyongyang in September showed what appeared to be the early stages of construction on several rectangular buildings as well as the presence of larger more complete buildings in an area bordering the Kim Il Sung University campus to the west, an elite area to the east, Ryomyong Street to the north and the Taedong river to the south.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs Inc. in February 2018 now shows advanced progress made on over two dozen multi-level structures at the location as well as developments west of the main cluster of buildings in an area of approximately 77,000 square meters. 

This includes the conversion of a large area of land previously used – in part – for temporary shelter into what appears to be a large body of water immediately south of the Kim Il Sung University building number 3, which was finished in 2017 after a long period of construction stretching back to 2006.

In February, blue and green paint or roofing also appears to have been applied to multiple buildings on the site, likely indicating an advanced level of construction.

The North Korean Government made construction on Ryomyong Street a major priority in 2016 and 2017. The street underwent an overhaul on a massive scale with over 50 buildings being erected – including a 70-story skyscraper –  between the groundbreaking ceremony in April 2016 and the opening ceremony in April 2017.

It received extensive media coverage, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continually monitoring the site’s progress. Kim also attended the opening ceremony of the street, which was witnessed by foreign media including NK Pro.

In contrast to the coverage of Ryomyong Street, the building site to the south has – so far – not been reported on.

The consistent and rather rapid advancement of construction at the site – albeit with a relative slow down over late December and early January when temperatures in the city plummet – is also in contrast to multiple other construction projects in Pyongyang, which recent NK Pro images indicate have either slowed or halted.

This includes images of the East Pyongyang Mall published by NK Pro on Thursday that show the project in a state of what appears to be chronic stagnation.

The project was being constructed in cooperation with the Hong Kong-based Great China International Group, North Korean state media reporting from a ground-breaking ceremony at the site in January 2014 said.

The pace of construction on several tower blocks surrounding Kim Il Sung square also appears to have slowed, images from the capital taken in January show. NK Pro images show that construction between September 2017 and January 2018 very little progress on the buildings, which as yet, have also not been reported on by state media.

Featured Image: Planet Labs Inc.