N. Korean leader celebrates completion of major housing project in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony to celebrate the completion of a major housing project in the country's capital, state media reported Tuesday.

The event was to mark the completion of 10,000 apartments and an 80-floor skyscraper in the Songsin and Songhwa areas of Pyongyang, and a major street with "public catering facilities," according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim did not deliver a speech in person while warmly waving to the cheering crowds and "wishing them happiness" in the new houses.

The workers and soldiers involved in the project "performed an eye-opening miracle of building the distinctive grand architectural group of 10,000 flats" by waging a fierce campaign despite challenges, the KCNA said.

Top officials attended the ceremony, including Jo Yong-won, secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party, and Premier Kim Tok-hun.

At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party meeting last year, North Korea announced its aim of building 50,000 apartments in Pyongyang by 2025, or 10,000 units each year.

Last month, Kim called for the construction of the Songsin and Songhwa areas to be completed before the 110th birth anniversary of the North's late founder and his grandfather Kim Il-sung on April 15. (Yonhap)