Pyongyang closes universities, sends students to build housing
In order to build 100,000 units by next year, a huge undertaking, the North Korean regime has conscripted university students as construction workers. UK ambassador says that perhaps 10 per cent has been built.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – The North Korean regime has closed universities and sent students to work projects to build 100,000 housing units, a huge and unachievable goal laid down by Kim Jong-un, the third son and heir of Pyongyang’s dictator.
Some sources, confirmed by the UK Ambassador in Pyongyang Peter Hughes, said the project is expected to take a year, until the end of 2012 to allow the ‘dear leader” to show the world that North Korea is a “great and prosperous nation”.
The goal is to celebrate in style the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the founder and ‘eternal president’ of North Korea. However, the cost is prohibitive and impossible to achieve in such a short period.
“Any country would be stretched to hit that accommodation target in two or three years,” the ambassador said. “I think they have built maybe 10 per cent of that,” he added.
Kim Jong-un is in charge of the project and has given it maximum priority. There is only one problem: the country does not have the resources to build so many housing units, mostly in and around the capital.
University students will join the military who are traditionally used in construction.
Meanwhile, work on the pyramidal 105-storey Ryugong skyscraper has stated again. Construction began in 1987, but was stopped during the years of starvation and economic hardship. The structure itself has been famously dubbed the "worst building in the history of mankind”.
Some sources, confirmed by the UK Ambassador in Pyongyang Peter Hughes, said the project is expected to take a year, until the end of 2012 to allow the ‘dear leader” to show the world that North Korea is a “great and prosperous nation”.
The goal is to celebrate in style the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the founder and ‘eternal president’ of North Korea. However, the cost is prohibitive and impossible to achieve in such a short period.
“Any country would be stretched to hit that accommodation target in two or three years,” the ambassador said. “I think they have built maybe 10 per cent of that,” he added.
Kim Jong-un is in charge of the project and has given it maximum priority. There is only one problem: the country does not have the resources to build so many housing units, mostly in and around the capital.
University students will join the military who are traditionally used in construction.
Meanwhile, work on the pyramidal 105-storey Ryugong skyscraper has stated again. Construction began in 1987, but was stopped during the years of starvation and economic hardship. The structure itself has been famously dubbed the "worst building in the history of mankind”.
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