SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sought to reassure the public over construction safety after the deadly collapse of a Pyongyang apartment building sparked a rare apology from the secretive hardline state.

Inspecting a river-side construction site in Pyongyang where two 46-storey apartment buildings are being built by soldiers, he stressed the need for quality construction in the aftermath of the May 13 accident that state media blamed on "irresponsible" supervision by officials.

The official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday quoted Kim raising the slogan: "Let us take responsibility for the safety of the project and guarantee its absolute quality for all eternity."

Kim's inspection tour appeared aimed at reinforcing his regime's commitment to regulate building construction after senior North Korean officials offered a rare public apology for the "unimaginable" disaster on May 13.

No death toll was given, but South Korean officials said close to 100 families were in residence at the site. The North's state media said Kim "sat up all night, feeling painful" after being told about the accident.

About 2.5 million people -- mostly the ruling elite or those considered politically trustworthy -- live in Pyongyang and enjoy priority access to electricity, food and other goods and services.

The North in 2009 announced plans to build 100,000 new high-rise apartments in its showpiece capital. Students and soldiers were drafted in to help complete the project on time.

Kim -- since taking power after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011 -- has launched a flurry of high-profile construction projects of his own.

He last year celebrated the opening of a new water park, an equestrian club and apartments for scientists, teachers and athletes in the capital, and a massive ski resort in the northeast.

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N Korea's Kim plays up safety after deadly building collapse

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) When a South Korean ferry sank with hundreds trapped inside last month, the whole world knew about it. But in North Korea, there was utter silence about the collapse of a 23-story apartment building for five days, until state media issued a rare apology.

The North is not a black hole for information. More than 2 million people have cellphones. Hundreds of foreigners live in Pyongyang, the showcase capital where the collapse occurred a week ago Tuesday. A handful of international news bureaus, including The Associated Press, operate there, and the city sees a steady procession of visiting tourists, academics and diplomats.

But with no Internet for most citizens, a local press that operates as the government's propaganda wing and a security apparatus that severely curbs foreigners and citizens alike, if North Koreans get news about something, it is almost always because the nation's young leader, Kim Jong Un, wants them to get it.

Kim may not have meant for his people to know anything about the collapse at first. Three days after it happened, a North Korean state-run newspaper carried a photo of the beaming leader watching a soccer match. The date shown on a screen display of a telephone beside Kim was a day after the collapse, according to a South Korean official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak to media about the matter.

Chang Yong Seok, an analyst at Seoul National University, said North Korea may have finally publicized the building collapse because news was likely spreading among citizens in Pyongyang via the domestic cellphone service.

In any case, the delay in reporting gave North Korea's propaganda mavens more time to spin the narrative in a way that glorified the ruling Kim family.

The North Korean story highlighted a grieving Kim Jong Un, who one official told state media "sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident."

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said there were casualties but released no specifics on deaths or injuries. Most of the few details to emerge things that people in democracies would likely consider newsworthy have come from South Korean officials, who said they believe many people died because nearly 100 families had likely moved into the building, even while it was under construction.

The North Korean report includes apologies from five officials who accepted responsibility for the collapse. It is in keeping with a consistent propaganda message framed to show Kim as a man of the people with no patience for his officials' failures. Kim's late father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, was seen as more aloof than his son.

"As with everything in North Korea, this is all about establishing Kim Jong Un's legitimacy," said John Delury, a specialist on North Korea and China at Yonsei University in Seoul. "Even when a building collapses, they're thinking about how to use it to consolidate his power."

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N. Korea building collapse study in media control

North Korea expresses 'profound consolations regret' to families of victims of a building collapse in Pyongyang.

An apartment building under construction in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang has collapsed, sparking fears hundreds of people may have been killed.

North Korean officials have offered a rare public apology for the collapse, which a South Korean official said was believed to have caused considerable casualties.

The word of the collapse in the secretive nation's capital was reported on Sunday morning (local time) by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, which gave no death toll but said that the accident was "serious" and upset North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un.

The report said it occurred in the capital's Phyongchon district on Tuesday "as the construction of an apartment house was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner."

In Seoul, a South Korean government official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information said the 23-storey apartment building that collapsed was presumed to have housed 92 families.

That could mean the casualties could be in the hundreds because a typical North Korean family has four members. However, it was not clear whether all the residents were inside at the time of the collapse, or that four people lived in each apartment.

It is not unusual for people to start living in apartments before the construction is complete.

The official said he did not have any figure for the actual death toll.

According to the KCNA report, the rescue operation ended on Saturday and officials apologised to bereaved families and district residents.

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High death toll feared in North Korea building collapse

SEOUL An apartment building in the North Korean capital collapsed in what state media described as a serious accident that caused an unspecified number of casualties.

The unusual, apologetic report Sunday from the Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the collapse took place Tuesday at the construction site of an apartment building in Phyongchon, a central district of Pyongyang.

The accident claimed casualties, the agency reported without providing details on the number of peopled killed and injured. Rescue efforts were abandoned on Saturday, the agency said.

North Korean Defectors

A South Korean government official said the building had 23 floors, estimating that as many as 92 families might have been living inside. Its common for people to move into North Korean buildings before construction is completed, the official said.

The South Korean government closely monitors activities in North Korea.

The construction of the building was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner, KCNA reported. Pyongyang residents were greatly shocked it said.

Kim Jong Un upset

The secretive North Korean regime rarely calls attention to problems within its borders.

The publication of the state media report, which contained a series of apologies from senior public officials, suggests it was a severe calamity.

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North Korea apologizes to citizens for building collapse

An apartment building under construction in Pyongyang collapsed last week, prompting senior executives to offer a rare public apology, state media and Seoul officials said Sunday.

The disaster took place on May 13 in the Pyongchon district, where the construction of the 23-story building was nearing completion, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. No death toll was reported though it described the accident as "serious."

As many as 92 households had already moved in, an official at Seoul's Unification Ministry said, raising the possibility of significant casualties. "A considerable number of people are likely to have died," the official said on customary condition of anonymity.

"The construction of the apartment building was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner," the KCNA said.

People's Security Minister Choe Pu-il apologised to the victims and district residents, with the Rodong Sinmun, a mouthpiece of the governing Workers' Party, carrying a photo of an unidentified official bowing his head before the crowd. Other officials also met with the bereaved families, including Sonu Hyong-chol, general officer of the Korean People's Internal Security Forces; Cha Hui-rim, chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee; and Ri Yong-sik, chief secretary of the party's Pyongchon District Committee.

The accident caused leader Kim Jong-un to "sit up all night, feeling painful" and instruct leading officials of the party, state and army to "rush to the scene, putting aside all other affairs, and command the rescue operation to recover from the damage as early as possible," Kim Su-gil, a party secretary in Pyongyang, was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

Though the search operation ended Saturday, a national emergency response team was set up to facilitate the rescue efforts and the treatment of the injured, it added.

The report marks a rare admission of a tragic accident by the reclusive, erratic regime, which has long claimed infallibility across the board.

The fallen apartment building was part of an ambitious initiative to "modernize" Pyongyang, launched in 2002 by late strongman Kim Jong-il. The plan called for building 100,000 housing units, including some 2,700 in high-rises, along with parks and monuments across 13 districts in the capital city.

The revelation reflects its efforts to prevent public anger at home, while flaunting its credentials as a responsible, legitimate government after lambasting the South for its botched response to the recent ferry disaster, observers say.

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Pyongyang issues rare apology after apartment building collapses

PYONGYANG, North Korea, May 19 (UPI) --North Korean officials admitted Sunday that an apartment building in its showy capital, Pyongyang, collapsed last Tuesday.

In a rare display of openness, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said the incident occurred in Pyongyang's Phyongchon district.

The news agency said the accident "claimed casualties." It also pinned the collapse on shoddy construction, noting that "officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner."

Though its unclear how many people died, a South Korean official told the Yonhap news service that more than 90 families lived in the 23-story building.

Choe Pu Il, the North Korean minister of people's security, blamed himself and his agency for the "unpardonable crime." According to the state report, Kim Jong Un "sat up all night feeling painful" when he heard of the accident.

Kim has aligned himself with city construction efforts since he took over from his father in 2011, telling North Koreans in his New Year's address to "make concerted efforts to build up Pyongyang so that it is more grandiose."

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North Korea confirms Pyongyang apartment building collapse, hundreds feared dead

North Korean officials confirmed reports that an apartment building in the capital city collapsed on Tuesday. The death toll is yet unknown but casualties could number in the hundreds.

NorthKorean officials offered a rare public apology for the collapse of an apartment building under construction in Pyongyang, which a South Korean official said was believed to have caused considerable casualties that could mean hundreds might have died.

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The word of the collapse in the secretive nation's capital was reported Sunday morning by theNorth'sofficial Korean Central News Agency, which gave no death toll but said that the accident was "serious" and upsetNorthKorea'sleader, Kim Jong Un.

The report said it occurred in the capital's Phyongchon district on Tuesday "as the construction of an apartment house was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner."

In Seoul, a South Korean government official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information said the 23-story apartment building that collapsed was presumed to have housed 92 families.

That could mean the casualties could be in the hundreds because a typicalNorthKorean family has four members. However, it was not clear whether all the residents were inside at the time of the collapse, or that four people lived in each apartment.

It is not unusual for people to start living in apartments before the construction is complete.

The official said he did not have any figure for the actual death toll.

Excerpt from:
North Korea apologizes for 'serious' building collapse

By Jethro Mullen, CNN

updated 3:21 PM EDT, Sun May 18, 2014

North Korean officials stand among the families of victims of the building collapse in Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 17.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- An apartment building in the North Korean capital collapsed in what state media described as a "serious accident" that caused an unspecified number of casualties.

The unusual, apologetic report Sunday from the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the collapse took place Tuesday at the construction site of an apartment building in Phyongchon, a central district of Pyongyang.

"The accident claimed casualties," the agency reported without providing details on the number of peopled killed and injured. Rescue efforts were abandoned on Saturday, the agency said.

A South Korean government official said the building had 23 floors, estimating that as many as 92 families might have been living inside. It's common for people to move into North Korean buildings before construction is completed, the official said.

Photos North Korea didn't want you to see

Deleting the offensive photos

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North Korea

Jung-Yoon Choi, The Associated Press Published Sunday, May 18, 2014 7:51AM EDT Last Updated Sunday, May 18, 2014 9:23AM EDT

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean officials offered a rare public apology for the collapse of an apartment building under construction in Pyongyang, which a South Korean official said was believed to have caused considerable casualties that could mean hundreds might have died.

The word of the collapse in the secretive nation's capital was reported Sunday morning by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, which gave no death toll but said that the accident was "serious" and upset North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un.

The report said it occurred in the capital's Phyongchon district on Tuesday "as the construction of an apartment house was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner."

In Seoul, a South Korean government official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information said the 23-story apartment building that collapsed was presumed to have housed 92 families.

That could mean the casualties could be in the hundreds because a typical North Korean family has four members. However, it was not clear that all the residents were inside at the time of the collapse, or that four people lived in each apartment.

It is not unusual for people to start living in apartments before the construction is complete.

The official said he did not have any figure for the actual death toll.

According to the KCNA report, the rescue operation ended Saturday and officials apologized to bereaved families and district residents.

On the streets of Pyongyang on Sunday, residents expressed outrage over the incident.

View original post here:
'Serious' building collapse prompts rare North Korean apology

North Korea has apologised to bereaved families after an apartment building collapsed in Pyongyang last week, possibly killing hundreds, the official KCNA news agency said, a rare admission of fallibility from the reclusive state.

Pyongyang's expression of "profound consolation and apology" was the first official news of the disaster, which happened in the Phyongchon district of the North Korean capital on Tuesday.

"The construction of an apartment house was not done properly and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner," said the statement from KCNA, which is better known for its strident attacks against South Korea and the United States.

The KCNA statement also said the collapse of the apartment building "claimed casualties" but did not give any indication of how many may have been killed or injured. It said a rescue operation ended on Saturday.

An official from South Korea's unification ministry yesterday confirmed that a 23-storey apartment building had collapsed in Pyongyang on Tuesday, although he would not say from where the information had been obtained.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said the building was presumed to have held 92 households, or families, and that it was common for North Koreans to move into new buildings before construction was completed.

"Hundreds are presumed to be dead, assuming that each family has an average of four members," he said.

A spokeswoman for the unification ministry said it was presumed there were four households on each storey but she also said it was not known exactly how many were in the building at the time.

The KCNA statement said North Korean authorities put emergency measures into place to rescue people from the collapsed building and to treat the injured.

It said that Choe Pu Il, North Korea's Minister of People's Security, had "repented", saying he had failed to supervise the project adequately, "thereby causing an unimaginable accident".

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Hundreds feared dead in Nth Korea building collapse