Kangdong Residence

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

Kangdong Residence[1] is the summer residence and second residence of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after Ryongsong Residence.[2]

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 a 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.[citation needed] 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

The residence has many facilities for entertainment of the residents and their families :

  • Furnished entertainment facilities with bowling, shooting center and roller-skating slope[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. ^ a b "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. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "North Korean Special Weapons Facilities: Command and Control". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Han, Young Jin (March 15, 2005). "Kim Jong Il, Where He Sleeps and Where He Works". Daily NK. 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. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  9. ^ a b 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". Daily NK. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  13. ^ Shin, Joo Hyun (October 14, 2010). "Kim Jong Eun Birth Manipulation Well Underway". Daily NK. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
  14. ^ "Where KJI watches football–and recovers from adverse health events". North Korea Economy Watch. Retrieved December 12, 2012.

39°12′05″N 126°01′14″E / 39.201381°N 126.020683°E / 39.201381; 126.020683