N. Korea’s new general hospital in Pyongyang opens 5 years after construction began

Pyongyang General Hospital, a large-scale, high-level medical facility envisioned by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as part of his broader development plan, has opened five years after its construction began, according to state media Tuesday.

Pyongyang General Hospital began receiving patients the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, lauding it as being at “the world’s best level” and providing “the best medical service.”

Photos released showed the hospital’s lobby crowded with people, all wearing masks.

North Korea launched the hospital’s construction in March 2020, aiming to complete it by October that year, but the project hit a major snag due to a shortage of building materials and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its construction neared completion early this year, and medical equipment and staff were in place when Kim visited the site in September.

Kim has pinpointed public health services, and the science and education sector as areas where the urban-rural gap is widest, pledging to build hospitals in 20 cities and counties every year.