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North's Kim, daughter visit service facilities at new housing district in Pyongyang

Published: 03 Apr. 2026, 14:31

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Ju-ae, visit an instrument store being prepared to open in the fourth-stage area of the Hwasong district in Pyongyang in this photo carried by the Korean Central News Agency on April 3, 2026. [YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected various service facilities set to open at a new housing district in Pyongyang, including car repair, pet and hair shops, touting them as a valuable foundation for a "socialist civilization," state media said Friday.

Kim visited service facilities being prepared for opening at the fourth-stage area of the Hwasong district in the capital, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The Hwasong district is a newly refurbished housing area where a total of 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 perfect political, economic and cultural functions.

Kim visited an automobile technology service center, a pet shop, a musical instrument shop and a hair salon during the recent inspection, the KCNA said. Photos released showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae, believed to be groomed as his heir as state leader, accompanying him on the visit, along with his wife, Ri Sol-ju.

He praised the automobile repair center for being "furnished with modern equipment," hailing it as a result of the ruling party's policy to expand new service categories aimed at improving the people's material and cultural welfare.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, and his daughter, Ju-ae, visit a pet store being prepared to open in the fourth-stage area of the Hwasong district in Pyongyang in this photo carried by the Korean Central News Agency on April 3, 2026. [YONHAP]

At the pet shop, he referred to the growing trend of pet ownership in the country and stressed the need to expand pet-related production, while at the hair salon, he described welfare amenities as "essential" for ensuring a highly civilized living environment in urban districts.

"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," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Kim also ordered the shops to open on the occasion of the Day of the Sun, the birth anniversary of the national founder, his grandfather Kim Il Sung, which falls on April 15.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Ju-ae, visit a pet store being prepared to open in the fourth-stage area of the Hwasong district in Pyongyang in this screen grab from the Korean Central Television on April 3, 2026. [YONHAP]

KCNA photos showed Ju-ae at the center of the scene, standing closely next to Kim. In one, she was seen placing a finger on her father's chest as if poking him — an unusual scene in North Korea, where physical contact with the supreme leader is rarely photographed.

In others, she petted a cat at the pet shop or browsed musical instruments at the music store.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has assessed that Ju-ae is undergoing successor training.

Images of the service facilities showed the pet shop equipped with bathing, grooming and play areas, while the music shop offered a variety of instruments, from pianos and guitars to violins. The hair salon has around 20 seats.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a piano at an instrument store being prepared to open in the fourth-stage area of the Hwasong district in Pyongyang in this screen grab from the Korean Central Television on April 3, 2026. [YONHAP]

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