Kim Jong-un Announces Opening of Pyongyang’s New International Airport
To much fanfare in North Korea, Kim Jong-un has opened Pyongyang’s new international airport:
North Korea has finished building an international airport terminal, state media reported Thursday, and photos show leader Kim Jong Un inspecting rather swanky amenities that include a jewelry store, a pharmacy and a coffee bar with — is that a chocolate fountain?
It was unclear what international assistance impoverished North Korea received for constructing the two-story terminal, or how much it cost. A 30-photo slide show published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency showed Kim touring the terminal with his wife and a group of about a dozen people. Numerous photos showed the entourage in various states of laughter.
The facility, which also has a new control tower, will open July 1, the agency said. It replaces a terminal that dated to the 1950s and may be part of efforts by Kim to increase the country’s appeal to tourists and earn foreign currency [LA Times]
You can read the rest at the link.
Probably the most interesting thing about this airport is not where the money came from, but the fact he had its architect executed last year as part of one of his purges to consolidate power.
“It replaces a terminal that dated to the 1950s and may be part of efforts by Kim to increase the country’s appeal to tourists and earn foreign currency ”
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Increase the country’s appeal? How about freeing your political prisoners, getting rid of the multi-generational “work camps,” eliminating your nuclear weapons program, stop threatening your neighbor to the south and her allies, and open up your borders to international travel in both directions for your citizens as well as foreign nationals? Oh, and stop arresting tourists for espionage and/or sedition if they bring in religious books or take pictures in officially unsanctioned areas. I’ll betcha that would do more to increase the country’s appeal than building an airport terminal that most of your citizens would never be allowed to visit, let alone use.