N. Korean leader offers field guidance to construction site of airport terminal

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has given field guidance to the construction site of the second airport terminal in Pyongyang and instructed officials to modify the finished project to highlight national identity, the country's state news agency said Saturday.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Kim guided the construction site of Terminal 2 of Pyongyang International Airport, where he instructed officials to halt work on the interior for the time being, and examine layout designs and complete modifications.

The dispatch did not give details about the date of his visit, as it has often done in a country shrouded in secret.

Kim pointed out that during his last inspection, he had given workers the task to finish the project in a way that ensures the Juche philosophy of self-reliance and national identity are preserved, but it has not been carried out.

"When we build even a single structure, we should do in such a way as to ensure that our style, our characteristic feature and national identity are preserved," Kim was quoted as saying.

He also laid out his idea of building a new terminal and runway in the future opposite the airport that's under construction as well as railways for express trains and highways that can connect the airport to the heart of Pyongyang.

North Korea began the project to build the second terminal for the international airport, the main gateway to Pyongyang, in 2012, according to the KCNA. The construction seems to be in the final stages, according to a recent report by the Associated Press.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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