For years, satellite images of North Korea at night showed only a few small patches of light. Electricity shortages meant that even cities remained dark. In the six years since April 2020, however, the illuminated area in the center of Pyongyang has tripled in size.
The information portal NK News sees the increased illumination of the urban area as evidence that the regime has prioritized the supply of electricity to new streets and houses in the center to showcase its achievements.
At the last party congress in 2021, Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, announced that he would build 50,000 new apartments in the capital. And he did embark on the plan: in the new neighborhood of Hwasong, for example, with the construction of two 40-story apartment blocks shaped like Hwasong intercontinental ballistic missiles.
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The new high-rise districts are not the only sign of North Korea's improved prosperity. People who have been visiting Pyongyang for a long time report that the city now appears more modern.
