North Korea recently opened a new terminal building at Pyongyang’s international airport and photos of the new terminal display swanky design that would fit in at any of the major jet-setter destinations of the world. The opening ceremony for the newly built terminal was held on July 1, and judging from the photos, was quite the grand affair with rows upon rows of attendees in traditional North Korean garb.
But, with only a handful of international flights going in and out of Pyongyang every week, it’s been pointed out that the one thing the airport may lack is travelers. Only a few airlines, including North Korea’s state-run Air Koryo, and Air China, operate flights into Pyongyang, and most of the country’s tourists are from China and Russia. So, given that, the somewhat eerie photos of the empty airport terminal before its grand opening may be spot-on representations of what the airport looks like much of the time.
The new luxe terminal comes at a time that North Korea is attempting to lure more tourists to the country and reshape its image for traveling foreigners. Perhaps to that end, the new airport has no portraits of the founder of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Il Sung, which dominate all government buildings in North Korea. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released 42 images of the newly built terminal, hailing it as one of the “unremitting efforts” of current leader Kim Jong Un to plant North Korea on the global map. It reportedly features a jewelry store, coffee bar, pharmacy, duty-free shop and other luxury amenities, just like any other world-class airport. Also: a chocolate fountain.
Laborers working on the terminal (dubbed “solider-builders” by Kim) constructed it largely by hand or with simple tools, according to the Associated Press, with patriotic music blaring from loudspeakers and under huge signs urging them to work with “Korea Speed.” The terminal is the latest of the country’s “speed campaigns,” projects massive in scale designed to be constructed as quickly as possible ahead of the country’s celebration of the anniversary of its ruling party’s founding in October.
The North Korean leader has shown keen interest in the airport’s design and construction, and was widely reported to have ordered a redesign of the project after being initially unhappy with it and calling it a “copy” of a foreign airport, according to the AFP. He was also reported to have made several inspection visits over the past few years.
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Jessica Marmor Shaw is MarketWatch’s senior editor for social media, mobile platforms and graphics.
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