Kim Jong-un shows off airport designed by architect he likely had executed
Ma Won-chun had not been seen since Kim expressed his disappointment in the terminal's original design last year.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un toured Pyongyang Airport’s new terminal ahead of its opening, but reports claim Kim ordered the architect to be executed after he was unhappy with its design.
State-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published photos of Kim and his wife touring the sleek new terminal, but the building’s head designer, Ma Won-chun was not leading the walk-through.
Ma was one of six high-level diplomats who disappeared last year in a government purge carried out by Kim. According to The Diplomat, he was murdered in November for “corrupt practices and failure to follow orders” – namely, failing to provide an terminal that met the leader’s standards.
According to NKNews
, Kim expressed his dissatisfaction when he initially inspected the second terminal. The modifications were made but Ma was allegedly removed from his position as Designing Department of the National Defence Commission.“Defects were manifested in the last phase of the construction of the Terminal 2 because the designers failed to bear in mind the party’s idea of architectural beauty that it is the life and soul and core in architecture to preserve the Juche character and national identity,” Kim said in comments reported by KCNA.
The new hub is the latest in Kim’s push to make North Korea more appealing to tourists. It will be serviced by flights from China and Russia but passenger footfall is expected to be low.
Featuring a jewellery shop, a café and a pharmacy, Kim appeared happy with the updated appearance of the terminal and approved its opening on July 1.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments