Editor’s note: This article was revised on April 9, 2026, to improve structure and remove broken image links.
While Kim Il Sung was still alive, Kim Jong Il constructed underground facilities and connected them like a spider’s web, ostensibly to “secure protection for the Suryeong.” In reality, these facilities were built for his own future use.
Kim Jong Il established a special military engineering unit and pursued underground construction projects for decades. As a result, North Korea has likely developed some of the most advanced tunnel-digging capabilities in the world.
North Korea: An “Underground Republic”
Pyongyang’s subway was built mostly through bedrock some 80 to 100 meters underground. The underground roads built for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were constructed at even greater depths. Kim Jong Il justified this emphasis on underground construction as preparation for war — stoking a sense of crisis among the population while also generating economic benefit by exporting tunnel-digging expertise to allied countries. It was a policy with two advantages: social control and profit.
The pinnacle of this underground fortification is Kim Jong Il’s residences and chalets. Built with wartime contingencies in mind, each residence contains key facilities underground, and all residences, chalets, and their ancillary buildings are interconnected via underground passages.
Kim Jong Il’s Residences and Offices in Pyongyang
▲ Kim Jong Il’s Office
Kim Jong Il’s office in Pyongyang’s Central District was originally used by Kim Il Sung. After Kim Il Sung built a presidential palace in the Hyongjesan District and moved his operations there in 1976, Kim Jong Il renovated the old office building and has used it as his own workplace ever since.
The building stretches several hundred meters in length and stands three stories high, constructed of reinforced concrete and finished inside with granite and marble. Its walls are 80 centimeters thick — sturdy enough to withstand a bombing. Each of the seven entrances to the complex is fitted with an automated iron gate weighing over 40 tons, operated by remote control.
These automated gates are nearly impenetrable even by tank, and because they are lined with lead, they can also serve as radiation shields against a nuclear attack. Underground tunnels allow evacuation to subterranean facilities in an emergency. The compound is surrounded by 11-meter-high walls. The nearby Russian Embassy is blocked from any view of the compound by high-rise buildings constructed specifically for that purpose.
The office is connected to Residence No. 15 by an underground road. Taking an elevator down roughly 100 meters leads to the tunnel, which is paved in marble, 4 to 5 meters wide and 3 meters tall — about a six-minute walk. Kim Jong Il reportedly used the route for exercise, sometimes on foot and sometimes by bicycle.
▲ Kim Jong Il’s Residence (No. 15)
Located in Jungseong-dong, Pyongyang, this is the residence where Kim Jong Il once lived with Sung Hye Rim. It is connected to Kim Jong Il’s office in the Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee complex by an underground road.
▲ East Pyongyang Residence (No. 85)
Located in Pyongyang’s Daedonggang District, this residence is considerably larger than No. 15. It has deer kept on the grounds and facilities for fishing.
▲ Changgwang Mountain Residence
This is the residence where Kim Jong Il lived with Ko Yong Hui. He is said to have moved here in earnest around 1979, as his relationship with Sung Hye Rim cooled. Whether he continued to reside here after Ko Yong Hui’s death remains unclear. It is located in Pyongyang’s Central District.
▲ Seojang-dong Residence, Botonggang District
▲ Kim Jong Il’s Official Residence (No. 16)
Located in Pyongyang’s Central District next to the main Korean Workers’ Party headquarters building, this is considered Kim Jong Il’s official residence. The second floor contains entertainment facilities. The main gate is located behind the Party Founding Building, and the rear gate opens behind the Party History Research Institute. The lower level includes a concealed passage connecting the residence to the outside. The grounds cover approximately 20,000 square meters and are surrounded by 11-meter-high walls.
Kim Jong Il’s Private Chalets Across North Korea
Approximately ten personal chalets belonging to Kim Jong Il have been identified across North Korea. Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il each used separate chalets, so the total number — including Kim Il Sung’s — is likely considerably higher.
▲ Yongseong District 21 Complex
This is North Korea’s underground wartime command headquarters. In the event of war, the Supreme Command, secretariat, cabinet departments, and Korean Workers’ Party units would all be stationed here together. The facility is reportedly built with reinforced concrete and lead lining to withstand a nuclear attack. It was completed in 1983.
The surrounding area is densely garrisoned with military units equipped with heavy conventional weapons to defend the complex in wartime. The compound is roughly the size of one of North Korea’s administrative districts, and supplies are stockpiled to sustain operations for up to ten years without outside contact.
The complex is connected to major Pyongyang residences and nearby chalets via underground tunnels, and has its own subway link. It is also connected to the Jamo Mountain Chalet in Sunchon County, approximately 40 kilometers from Pyongyang.
▲ Jamo Mountain Chalet
Also known as the Jangsu Chalet, construction began in 1976 and was completed in 1982. During construction, Kim Song Ae — Kim Il Sung’s second wife — was reportedly kept in seclusion here for about six months after losing a struggle for influence against Kim Jong Il. According to testimony from Hwang Jang Yop, former International Secretary of the Korean Workers’ Party, an additional underground tunnel connecting the Jamo Mountain Chalet to the Yongwon Chalet (Kangdong Chalet) — some 50 kilometers away — was completed in 1996.
The No. 32 guest house at Kangdong is arranged around a central pond with a fountain. It includes a building for Kim Jong Il’s exclusive use, a family residence for Ko Yong Hui and their children, a building for Kim Jong Il’s sister Kim Kyong Hui and her husband Jang Song Thaek, and a main administrative building overseeing operations within the compound. The complex is vast and equipped with recreational facilities including a bowling alley, shooting range, and roller-skating rink.
▲ Hyangsan Chalet
Located on Horang Ridge (elevation 1,909 meters) in the Myohyang Mountains — the area’s most scenic spot — construction began in November 1981 and was completed in July 1984. The complex covers 500,000 square meters and is built in a traditional Korean architectural style, comprising one main villa building and three support and security buildings. Kim Jong Il has not visited the Hyangsan Chalet since Kim Il Sung died there.
Kim Jong Il reportedly said that the medical facilities at the Hyangsan Chalet were on par with those of the central government hospital in Pyongyang — a comment that gives some sense of the quality maintained at Kim family retreats. Given this, it is perhaps unsurprising that senior North Korean officials privately harbored doubts, however quietly, about how Kim Il Sung could have died so suddenly at the chalet without time for emergency treatment.
Geographically, Myohyang Mountain falls within Hyangsan County in North Pyongan Province, but the area’s official address was registered as Pyongyang’s Central District during Kim Il Sung’s lifetime. After his death, Hyangsan County reverted to North Pyongan Province. During its time under Pyongyang’s jurisdiction, the area enjoyed relatively good food distribution and was subject to the same strict travel controls as the capital. After reverting to provincial status, living conditions there fell to the level of an ordinary rural area.
▲ Sinchon Chalet
A retreat where Kim Jong Il frequently vacationed with family and associates, and where entertainment parties involving gisaeng were also held. Unlike other compounds, the Sinchon complex has no large central building; instead, a number of smaller buildings are dispersed across the grounds.
▲ Wonsan Chalet
A coastal retreat where Kim Jong Il and his associates hunted sea ducks and seals and enjoyed jet skiing in winter. Family members, including his children, also visited, and performers from the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble are recorded as having attended. (Testimony of Fujimoto Kenji, former personal chef to Kim Jong Il)
▲ Samjiyeon Chalet
Located in Potae Workers’ District, approximately one kilometer southwest of Samjiyeon town in Samjiyeon County, Ryanggang Province. Due to its cooler highland climate, Kim Il Sung typically visited in summer, from July to August. Completed in September 1980, the complex covers approximately 950,000 square meters and is divided between the Samji Lakeside Villa and the Potae Emergency Command Office.
▲ Yonpung Lake Chalet
The largest of Kim Jong Il’s chalets, located in Yonpung-ri, Anju City, South Pyongan Province. Completed in October 1966 and renovated once in August 1979, the complex covers approximately 300,000 square meters and consists of one main villa building and ten support and security structures. Kim Il Sung typically visited in spring. The complex is well known for its lakeside fishing spots and private hunting grounds, the latter developed between 1978 and 1984. A private pheasant hunting ground for Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is also located in Mujin-ri, Yokpo District, Pyongyang.
▲ Changseong Chalet
A chalet with a traditional Korean gable roof. North Korea has a famous official portrait of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in discussion — the so-called “business discussion portrait” — which was photographed at this location, making it one of the few chalets to have been publicly identified. Situated on the shores of Lake Supung on the Yalu River, it offers fishing and jet skiing. An underground passage reportedly runs beneath the Yalu River and connects to a tunnel extending into China. Kim Jong Il had satellite receivers installed here — as at all his residences and chalets — to watch foreign broadcasts, and reportedly monitored every available channel.
▲ Chalet No. 72 (Seoho Chalet)
Located in Yocho, Rakwon County, South Hamgyong Province, this is the largest of Kim Jong Il’s chalets in the northern part of the country. The building extends three stories below the waterline and seven stories above, giving it the total height equivalent of a 25-story building. Unusually, it includes an underwater lounge at a depth of 100 meters, enclosed by glass over 10 centimeters thick, designed to offer views into the sea.
The building is divided into floors for Kim Jong Il, Kim Kyong Hui, and Kim Jong Nam, with each person allocated two floors, according to testimony from Lee Han Young, nephew of Kim Jong Il’s former partner. Following Kim Jong Nam’s falling out with Kim Jong Il, and the souring of Kim Kyong Hui’s relationship with him over the Jang Song Thaek affair, the building’s use and allocation may have changed.
The chalet is divided into Buildings No. 1, 2, and 3. Buildings No. 2 and 3 are staffed around the clock by Kim Jong Il’s security detail. A two-lane underground tunnel 4.5 kilometers long connects the complex to the East Sea Fleet headquarters. A five-story building houses staff from the Budget Management Department’s 8th Section, with supply storage, refrigerated storage, and general storage facilities on the lower level. (Testimony of Lee Yong Guk, former bodyguard to Kim Jong Il)
Compiled by Han Yong Jin (born in Pyongyang; arrived in South Korea in 2002)
