City Profile of Pyongyang 3.0: Inside Out

North Korean Review. 2021. Vol. 17. No. 1. P. 30–56.

Pavel P. Em, Ward P., Prokopljevic J., Zakharova L., Sigley A.

Purpose—This article updates the city profile of Pyongyang, focusing on the changes taking place during the rule of Kim Jong-un. Findings—Pyongyang is a city for the privileged that is simultaneously filled with disproportions and contradictions. It is closed to non-residents and has limited suburbs, but its economy is still highly integrated with the rest of the country. The advent of marketization induced the emergence of a real estate market, commercialization and urban transformation on a large scale. Practical Implications—Through its interdisciplinary approach, this article describes contemporary conditions within Pyongyang’s limits, its socio-economic dynamics (population, transport, economy), urban development and planning, which may be useful to the broader public interested in North Korea. Originality, Value—This article demonstrates that the increasing tolerance toward marketization instigated processes of urban transformation similar to those which happened in East European countries after the collapse of Socialism, and thus opens a discussion as to whether Pyongyang is a post-socialist city or not.

Keywords: городское планирование, marketization, маркетизация, North Korea, КНДР, urban planning, Ким Чен Ын, Privileged city, Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang, особый город