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Why only the poorest North Koreans live in the country’s high penthouses

North Korea has completed construction of an 80-storey residential skyscraper full of penthouses in the capital, Pyongyang, but only some of the happiest in the country have reportedly chosen to live on the top floors of the country’s tallest apartments.

Deserters said many North Koreans oppose the higher floors of these apartments due to a lack of working elevators, electricity problems, minimal water supply and poor overall safety and quality, according to Reuters.

“In North Korea, the poor live in penthouses, not the rich, because elevators often don’t work properly and can’t pump water because of low pressure,” Jung Xi-wu, a 31-year-old North Korean deserter, told Reuters.

Jung gave an example, adding: “A friend who lived on the 28th floor of a 40-storey building never used the elevator because it didn’t work. Most elevators operated only twice a day, during peak hours of travel from 6 to 8 in the morning and at the same time in the evening.

North Koreans are not given many opportunities because housing is provided and the purchase and sale of housing is illegal.

According to state media, housing is an important goal for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and he has promised to build thousands of apartments. On Wednesday, the country completed the construction of 10,000 new apartments, proud of its timing and quality of completion.

According to Jung, however, the effort is theatrical. “This is to show how much their construction skills have improved, instead of taking into account the preferences of the residents.”

Daily NK editor-in-chief Li Sang-yong, a Seoul-based website reporting on North Korea, confirmed Jung’s claims, saying sources told him that “apartments for ordinary people are not ready to live.”

“The windows had only frames, and the water taps, though installed, did not work; but recently completed luxury homes come complete with furniture and utensils, ”explains Lee.

The story continues

Kim Jong Un recently donated a two-story luxury apartment to North Korean TV presenter Ri Chun-hi in gratitude for her loyalty, saying: “There is nothing to save for national treasures like Ri Chung-hi, who lived a virtuous life with the revolutionary microphone. ”

Image submission via (stephan) / Wikimedia Commons

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