N. Korean leader inspects housing construction site in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the site of a major housing project in the country's capital ahead of its completion, state media reported Wednesday.

Kim inspected the construction of 10,000 apartments in the Songsin and Songhwa areas of Pyongyang that is nearing completion after a groundbreaking in March last year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"He noted with pleasure that the architecture of the country has developed onto a higher plane through the construction of 10,000 flats in the first year for implementing the five-year plan of capital city construction set forth at the Party Congress," the KCNA said in an English-language report. "He stressed the need to take active measures for steadily building up the construction forces on a nationwide scale."

Kim also called for the construction's completion by the 110th birth anniversary of the North's late founder and his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the KCNA added. The anniversary falls on April 15, as the North is apparently preparing huge celebrations for the national holiday.

The KCNA did not mention when Kim visited the construction site, but North Korean state media usually carry reports on Kim's activities one day later.

At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party meeting last year, North Korea announced its goal to build 50,000 apartments in Pyongyang by 2025, or 10,000 units each year. Kim also attended a groundbreaking ceremony last month for the construction of another 10,000 homes in the capital. (Yonhap)