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 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 ...

and the main residence of North Korean Supreme 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 ...

and North Korea's First Lady

Ri Sol-ju Ri Sol-ju (; born 1985–1989) is the current First Lady of North Korea as the wife of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Little is known about her from official North Korean sources, but outside sources have speculated more about her background. ...

Location

The residence is located in

Ryongsong District Ryongsŏng-guyŏk, or Ryongsŏng District (룡성구역) is one of the 18 guyŏk that constitute Pyongyang, North Korea. Ryongsong Residence, the main residence of Kim Jong-un is located in this district. Administrative divisions Ryongsŏng-guyŏ ...

in northern

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 ...

. 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-Guk, there are at least eight North Korean leaders' residences outside Pyongyang.

Description

The compound was constructed by a

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the ''Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General Sec ...

construction brigade and completed in 1983 under the rule of

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

. It was later used by Kim Jong-il, 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 ...

. Since he succeeded his father as leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un has used Ryongsong Residence as his main residence. The complex has an underground wartime headquarters, protected with walls with iron rods and concrete covered with lead in case of a nuclear war. There are numerous military units to protect the headquarters stationed around the complex in possession of mass scale conventional weapons. The area is surrounded by an electric fence, mine fields and many security checkpoints. The headquarters is connected with Changgyong Residence (Residence No. 26) and other residences with tunnels. A private underground train station is also inside the residence compound. Besides large houses and well-tended gardens there are man-made lakes and various recreational facilities. Witnesses have reported luxurious interiors with ornate furnishings, deep plush carpets and fancy chandeliers.

Facilities

Facilities of the residence are as follows: * Banquet halls at the lakefront * Swimming pool wide and long with a giant waterslide * Running track and athletic field * Spa and sauna * Horse stables and riding area * Shooting range * Horse racing track

References

External links

* – Detailed satellite pictures of six North Korean leader’s residences {{coord, 39.116377, N, 125.805817, E, region:KP-01_type:landmark_scale:3000, format=dms, display=title Buildings and structures in Pyongyang Official residences Kim dynasty (North Korea) 1983 establishments in North Korea

Location

Description

Facilities

See also

References

External links