Major event appears to be underway at Pyongyang venue: satellite imagery | NK News
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Major event appears to be underway at Pyongyang venue: satellite imagery

North Korean state media did not report on the apparent event on Sunday, suggesting it will last multiple days

One of Pyongyang’s biggest venues appeared to host a political meeting or other large event on Saturday and Sunday, exclusive NK News analysis of satellite imagery reveals, days after thousands of people appeared to gather at a key hotel in the North Korean capital.

Dozens of buses first appeared parked at the April 25 Hotel in southeast Pyongyang from Dec. 1 to 3, before appearing across town at the April 25 House of Culture on Dec. 4 and 5, according to Planet Labs imagery.

Comparing the above two images, it appears that dozens of buses were parked at the April 25 House of Culture at around 11:00 a.m. on Dec. 4 but not around the same time the previous day | Images: © 2021 Planet Labs Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission; Edited by NK News.

Such activity has only appeared during major political meetings, such as the Eighth Party Congress last January or a conference of party cell secretaries in April.

State media on Sunday did not report on the apparent event taking place the previous day, suggesting state-run outlets may wait until it finishes before revealing details.

Satellite imagery also showed buses parked at the April 25 House of Culture in late July, but state media at the time waited three days after the end of a four-day-long military meeting there led by Kim Jong Un before reporting on it.

The appearance of buses parked at the April 25 House of Culture in the past resembles that seen in satellite imagery on Dec. 4 | Image: KCTV, Jan. 7, 2021

The event taking place this weekend may be the long-delayed Ninth Congress of the Union of Agricultural Workers of Korea (UAWK), which was originally set to take place in early July. It was postponed, likely due to an urgent food shortage at the time, but was not known to be rescheduled.

Pyongyang has not announced any other events for early this month, but state media reported last week that a major party plenum, where Kim Jong Un will likely announce new domestic and foreign policy changes, will take place in “late December.”

Major events are also expected to take place around the 10th anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong Il on Dec. 17, as was the case on the fifth anniversary in 2016.

Edited by Arius Derr. Updated on Dec. 5 at 17:57 KST to include details about the meeting appearing to take place on Sunday as well as Saturday.