Kangdong Residence is the summer retreat and second major residence of the

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n leader

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...

besides

Ryongsong Residence Ryongsong Residence ( ko, 룡성 관저), also called Residence No. 55 ()) and known by locals as Central Luxury Mansion () is a presidential palace in North Korea and the main residence of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and North Kor ...

Location

The residence is located in Kangdong-gun, a suburban county of

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

, around northeast of

Kim Il-sung Square __NOTOC__ Kim Il-sung Square is a large city square in the Central District of Pyongyang, North Korea, and is named after the country's founding leader, Kim Il-sung. The square was constructed in 1954 according to a master plan for reconstructing ...

Taedong River The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening ...

is just to the north. The size of the whole leadership complex is around . According to

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...

’s former bodyguard Lee Young-kuk there are at least eight North Korean leader’s residences outside Pyongyang.

Description

The compound was constructed in the 1980s and expanded in the 1990s under the order of

. It contains buildings for Kim Jong-il, his late wife

Ko Yong-hui Ko Yong-hui (; ; 26 June 1952 – 13 August 2004), also spelled Ko Young-hee, was the consort of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-il and the mother of his successor, Kim Jong-un. Within North Korea, she is only referred to by titles, such ...

, his sister

Kim Kyong-hui Kim Kyong-hui (; born 30 May 1946) is the aunt of current North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. She is the daughter of the founding North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and the sister of the late leader Kim Jong-il. She currently serves as Secretary f ...

and his brother-in-law

Jang Sung-taek Jang Song-thaek (January or February 1946 – 12 December 2013) was a leading figure in the government of North Korea. He was married to Kim Kyong-hui, the only daughter of North Korean Premier Kim Il-sung and his first wife Kim Jong-suk, and o ...

. The area is mostly used as a summer residence, to spend holidays or for parties with close officials. The estate has an elaborate garden, set around many lakes. There are numerous guest houses, and a banqueting hall. The whole compound is a maximum security area, surrounded by two armored fence lines with guards huts and checkpoints, clearly visible on satellite pictures. Kim Jong-il’s former cook

Kenji Fujimoto is the pen name of a Japanese chef who was the personal sushi chef of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il from 1988 to 2001. Fujimoto published a memoir in 2003 entitled ''I was Kim Jong-il's Cook'', detailing many of his experiences with ...

worked and lived in a guest house within the compound and provided some photographs dated 1989. 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. Defectors reported that in Hyangmok-ri, not far from the residence and from the

Mausoleum of Tangun The Mausoleum of Tangun is an ancient burial site in Kangdong near Pyongyang, North Korea. It is claimed by North Korea to be the tomb of Tangun, legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. A pyramid was built on top of the grave in ...

, Kim Jong-un’s birthplace is being built, though he was actually born in

Changsong Changsŏng County is a ''kun'', or county, in northern North Phyŏngan province, North Korea. It is bordered by Pyŏktong to the east, Tongchang and Taegwan to the south, Sakchu to the west; to the north, it faces China across the Yalu (Amrok ...

North Pyongan Province North Pyongan Province (Phyŏnganbukto; , also spelled North P'yŏngan), is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, th ...

Facilities

* Furnished entertainment facilities with bowling, shooting and roller-skating * Horse stables and a racing track * Football field * Kangdong airfield is south

References

External links

* – Project for comprehensive mapping of North Korea * – Detailed satellite pictures of six North Korean leader’s residences {{coord, 39.201381, N, 126.020683, E, region:KP-01_type:landmark_scale:3000, format=dms, display=title Buildings and structures in Pyongyang Official residences Kim Jong-il 1980s establishments in North Korea

Location

Description

Facilities

See also

References

External links