Peter Makowsky
Nonresident Fellow, Stimson Center
Articles By This Author
North Korea's Hydroelectric Power – The Paektusan Hero Youth Power Stations
North Korea's northeastern provinces, especially Ryanggang Province, play an important role in the country's hydropower development plans. The Paektusan power station project was designed to provide uninterrupted electrical power to this area, where the recently opened showcase city of Samjiyon is situated, to fuel its success.
North Korea's Tideland Reclamation Efforts
Adequate domestic food production is a persistent challenge in North Korea, given its limited arable land. Long-term efforts to increase that capacity through tideland reclamation projects along the country's west coast began in the 1980s, although suffered serious setbacks in the first decade due to poor engineering and maintenance and natural disasters.
North Korea's Animal Protein Farming: Expansion Status and Challenges
While North Korean diets have historically been plant-heavy, there have been efforts to increase the availability of protein sources, especially since 2005. Despite these efforts, structural and practical limitations prevent major protein farming expansion, including the competition for food stocks, resources and land allocations, much less the ability to acquire seed animals and raise them.
North Korea's Hwangju-Kindung Waterway Project
The Hwangju-Kindung Waterway was officially declared operational in December 2023. This new gravity-fed waterway system aims to provide a constant, uninterrupted water supply to the Hwangju-Kindung Plain for crop irrigation. It will reduce the region's dependence on electrical pump stations that require constant electricity supply.
Examining Kim's Approach to Construction: Project Wonsan
Well into his ninth year as supreme leader, Kim Jong Un has shown a willingness to deviate from tradition and separate himself from the habits and behaviors of his predecessors. While site visits are a practice consistent with the past, Kim's hands-on approach for major projects is an emerging signature of his leadership.
A Snapshot of North Korea's Supply Chain Coal Activity
Despite increasing restrictions on the DPRK's coal exports, the country's larger coal mines have remained active from 2015 to 2019 and improvements have been made to its coal supply-chain infrastructure.
A Snapshot of North Korea's Supply Chain Coal Activity – Part II
Based on an initial look at North Korea's coal industry, the country's larger coal mines have remained active despite the increasing restrictions on the North's coal exports.
The Sepho Tableland: Changing Food Production in Marginal Areas
The redevelopment of the Sepho Tableland is one example of North Korea's efforts to adapt its agricultural practices to perform better within the constraints of the land. This project sought to convert high elevation terrains, which are not conducive to crop production, into grassy fields for supporting livestock farming, thus increasing protein production while maximizing less than ideal land resources.
North Korea's Komdok Mining Region: Empty Promises?
In 2020, Typhoon Maysak ravaged North Korea's northeast provinces, devastating large portions of the mineral-rich mining region of Komdok. In the storm's wake, Kim Jong Un directed a plan to rebuild Komdok and transform it into a “model” mining community. Nearly two years later, the flood-damaged road and railway networks have been restored, and over 2,000 new housing units have been constructed.
North Korea's Cement Industry: More Than Meets the Eye
North Korea's cement industry is central to achieving several of the goals set forth in the new five-year economic plan. Cement and concrete are necessary for improvement or expansion of tourist facilities, housing, roads, major construction projects, and even non-carbon electrical energy production. However, it is difficult to assess the industry's capacity, output, modernization and expansion.
Kaesong Industrial Complex: A Tortured History and Uncertain Future
The Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), a joint venture between North Korea and South Korea that hosted South Korean manufacturers inside North Korea and employed North Korea labor, shut down in 2016 amid deteriorating relations. Recent commercial imagery analysis shows a moderate uptick in activity—especially since 2023.
North Korea's Hydroelectric Power – Part I
North Korea has faced persistent challenges in generating sufficient electricity to meet its industrial and civil needs. While coal is a primary source of energy consumption, hydroelectric power is the predominant method of electricity production.
North Korea's Tourism Industry: A Grand Initiative in Limbo
North Korea's tourism industry took a major hit in 2020 when the pandemic forced the country to close its borders. Once high-profile construction projects, such as the Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort, were effectively halted as priorities shifted toward domestically oriented projects. Despite a slow reopening to trade in 2022, activity at the North's key tourist sites remains largely unchanged.
North Korea's Hydroelectric Power – Part II
North Korea has faced persistent challenges in generating sufficient electricity to meet its industrial and civil needs. While coal is a primary source of energy consumption, hydroelectric power is the predominant method of electricity production.
North Korea's Hydroelectric Power - The Tanchon Power Station Project
To help meet North Korea's electrical energy needs, it has placed great emphasis on the use of hydropower. One strategy to improve this sector has been to shift focus from large-scale dams and hydropower plants to smaller ones, arranged in tiers.