Abstract

This study examines North Korea’s architecture and construction culture in the post-war recovery period of the 1950s. At that time, North Korea had the opportunity to transition into a modern socialist country by replacing its premodern traditions. To understand the country’s construction culture, this study examines various phenomena related to values, norms, and goals through representative texts written by Kim Il-sung and other published North Korean sources from the 1950s. These documents clarify how North Korean buildings and infrastructure were constructed for decades. First, North Korea built modernized socialist cities using concrete and practical policies utilizing standardized designs and prefabricated construction methods that were made possible by new mechanization and mass industrialization of building materials. Second, as the value of workers grew, various amenities were created for them, including new buildings, nurseries, dry cleaners, and cultural facilities. Third, during post-war reconstruction, the urban development that began in Pyongyang was completed simultaneously in regional cities. Finally, educational institutions with construction-related technical departments were established, including Kim Il-sung University and Kim Chaek University of Technology. However, the modernization efforts did not occur simply because North Korea became a modern nation; rather, it was the embodiment of North Korean society and party policies centered upon Kim Il-sung.