Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected service facilities set to open at a new housing district in Pyongyang, including car repair, pet, and hair shops, touting them as a foundation for a "socialist civilization," state media reported.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim visited facilities being prepared for opening at the fourth-stage area of the Hwasong district in the capital, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Hwasong district is a newly refurbished housing area where 40,000 housing units were built through four consecutive construction projects under Kim's guidance from 2022 to 2025.
The fifth-stage construction was launched in February, and at a subsequent ruling party congress, the leader ordered the city to be developed into a model administrative unit with political, economic, and cultural functions. During the recent inspection, Kim visited an automobile technology service center, a pet shop, a musical instrument shop, and a hair salon, according to KCNA. Photos released showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae, believed to be groomed as his heir, accompanying him, along with his wife, Ri Sol-ju.
He commended the automobile repair center for its modern equipment, highlighting it as an outcome of the ruling party's policy to expand service categories aimed at improving people's material and cultural welfare. At the pet shop, he acknowledged the growing trend of pet ownership in the country and emphasized the need to expand pet-related production. At the hair salon, he described welfare amenities as essential for ensuring a civilized living environment in urban areas.
Kim stated, "It is a responsible undertaking to manage and operate the leisure facilities well so that they would serve as a valuable foundation for the development of socialist civilization," as quoted by KCNA. He also ordered the shops to open on the Day of the Sun, the birth anniversary of the national founder, his grandfather Kim Il-sung, on April 15.