North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected service facilities set to open in Pyongyang's Hwasong district, praising them as a 'valuable foundation for socialist civilization,' state media reported. He visited a car repair center, pet shop, musical instrument shop and hair salon. His wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Ju-ae accompanied him.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected service facilities being prepared for opening in the fourth-stage area of Pyongyang's Hwasong district, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He visited an automobile technology service center, a pet shop, a musical instrument shop and a hair salon. Photos released showed his daughter Ju-ae, believed to be groomed as his heir, accompanying him along with his wife Ri Sol-ju.
The Hwasong district is a newly built housing area where 40,000 units were constructed through four consecutive projects under Kim's guidance from 2022 to 2025. Fifth-stage construction launched in February, and at a subsequent ruling party congress, Kim ordered the district to be developed into a model administrative unit with perfect political, economic and cultural functions.
Kim praised the automobile repair center for being 'furnished with modern equipment,' calling it a result of the ruling party's policy to expand service categories for improving people's material and cultural welfare. At the pet shop, he noted the growing trend of pet ownership and stressed expanding pet-related production, while at the hair salon he described welfare amenities as 'essential' for a highly civilized urban living environment.
'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,' KCNA quoted Kim as saying. He ordered the shops to open on the Day of the Sun, the April 15 birth anniversary of national founder Kim Il-sung.