North Korea began demolishing more homes in the remote northeastern Komdok mining region last month, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, in phase two of a major project to reverse what Kim Jong Un called the area’s “centuries-old backwardness.”

Kim inspected flood damage in the area in late 2020 and called for 5,000 new homes to be built in Komdok per year before the end of 2025, or 25,000 homes in total. 

State media claimed builders “made successful headway” in the first stage of the project last year, but did not disclose the precise number of