The northwestern region of North Korea has changed dramatically in just one year. Wihwa Island in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, along the lower Yalu River—an area that was submerged during the torrential rains at the end of July last year—is now lined with newly built apartments. An ASIAPRESS reporting team visited the site in September this year. The scene viewed from Dandong, China, on the opposite bank, was spectacular, but the distant view showed no signs of residents, giving a desolate impression. However, when we looked through a super-telephoto camera, we could sense human presence: women hanging laundry on balconies and young soldiers mobilized for ongoing levee construction work. We focused on the people at the site. (ASIAPRESS Editorial Team)
◆Wildflower bouquets, checking hairstyles... Glimpses of soldiers' modest lives
According to satellite images, nearly 70 apartment buildings have been constructed along approximately 2.5km of the riverbank on Wihwa Island. According to North Korean state media, a completion ceremony was held last December. This means they were built almost entirely by manual labor in a construction period of less than six months after the flood damage.
The ground floors of the apartments contain resident service facilities such as general stores and libraries, but they appeared empty with no signs of people and didn't seem to be operating. When we turned the super-telephoto camera toward the balconies, we could feel a bit of the breath of daily life—people hanging laundry or gazing blankly outside.
Levee construction work continues in front of the apartments. Large numbers of young, fresh-faced soldiers have been mobilized. We captured modest, youthful moments—making bouquets from wildflowers apparently gathered during work, or checking and fixing their hair in mirrors.
More details can be seen in the video.
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