NK’s flood-hit region lights up / KBS 2025.11.04.　#KBSNews

The changes in North Korea’s Wihwado, which experienced a major flood last summer, have been captured.

They have created a dazzling spectacle by decorating an apartment complex that is not yet fully occupied with bright lights.

Reporter Kim Myung-joo covered the story from Dandong, near the North Korean border.

[Report]

On the banks of the Yalu River in Dandong, Liaoning Province, China.

In the pitch-black darkness, Wihwado across the river is brightly lit.

In a show to the outside world, large lights have been installed on the newly constructed apartments.

More than half of the residences have their indoor lights on.

This transformation comes about a year after Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the Workers’ Party, visited the area following last summer’s major flood.

During the day, Wihwado appears to have dozens of high-rise apartments with neat exteriors.

Although not visible from the outside, it is reported that elevators have also been installed.

A flood prevention embankment has been built to a height of 5 meters.

The presence of units without glass windows suggests that occupancy is still incomplete.

[North Korea source/voice altered: “Originally, when Wihwado residents moved in, the state provided everything, but for general sales, the person moving in has to do the interior. There are service facilities on the first floor, including a laundromat, a tailor shop, and a grain store…”]

It is reported that construction materials and power for the construction were provided by the Chinese side in this expedited project.

On the Yalu River railway bridge, which serves as a trade route between North Korea and China, Chinese trucks heading to Sinuiju are lined up.

Vehicles are congested in front of the Dandong customs as they wait for clearance.

[Dandong resident/voice altered: “Buses are mostly carrying people from North Korea who are on business trips and returning with North Korean workers from China.”]

Near the midstream Supung Dam on the Yalu River, North Korean students can be seen moving in a line with bags.

While it appears calm on the surface, North Korean soldiers at the riverside outpost have expressions full of vigilance.

North Korean residents are seen fishing in the Yalu River on shabby wooden boats…

Unlike Wihwado, the North Korean homes here belong to an economic development zone but still cannot escape from a life of poverty.

This is Kim Myung-joo reporting from Dandong for KBS News.

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