New Buildings in Pyongyang

New Buildings in Pyongyang

Recently many buildings have sprung up in Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea, which are in the limelight of the international community.

Breast Tumour Institute of the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital

The Breast Tumour Institute of the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital newly built in east Pyongyang is a modern comprehensive medical service and scientific research centre specializing in the prevention and treatment of mastopathy, breast cancer and women’s other diseases.

The institute is furnished with mammographer and mammary tissue exsector as well as multipurpose X-ray camera, latest CT, ultrasonic wave diagnostic apparatus and electrocardiograph that are few in number across the world.

The exterior of its four-storyed building is splendid in architectural beauty but much more splendid is the interior. Its entrance hall and lounges give you an impression that you are standing in an art theatre or a palace, not in a hospital. The dazzling illuminations on the floor, stairs, handrails, ceilings, walls and pillars covered with high-grade stones are quite fantastic.

Landscapes hung on the cream-coloured walls along the corridors and exquisitely papered walls of sick wards help the patients in their treatment by creating a quiet, comfortable and cozy atmosphere. Sick wards are fully sterilized and provided with every condition for patients’ treatment, including multifunction beds on which the patients can freely move their limbs without assistance. Circular observation halls and observation monitoring tables there are designed for the nurses to observe the conditions of the in-patients constantly and treat them promptly.

The mammograph room, X-ray room, physiotherapy room, breast tumour research room and general operation room are all laid out in an excellent way. In addition, the institute has laboratories and a meeting hall for international scientific symposiums and consultative meetings on the global developing trend in the research of breast tumour. It has established a nationwide on-line medical care system for regular medical checkup and early diagnosis and prevention of mastopathy.

As it offers all medical care free of charge and the state provides it with sophisticated medical apparatuses and expensive medicines at its expense, the Breast Tumour Institute is just the heaven for women.

Ryugyong Health Complex

Built on the banks of the picturesque Taedong River in a unique style, the Ryugyong Health Complex is a comprehensive public service establishment.

Its roof patterned after waves and the central hall decorated with gorgeous lamplights and flowers are reminiscent of a refreshing indoor park. It is furnished with all necessary conditions for health promotion–bathrooms, barber’s, massage rooms, beauty parlours and curative gymnastics halls.

What draws particular attention are the Oriental-style saunas of different types, including the pine-tree sauna whose floor and walls are made of pine trees and from whose ceiling pinecones hang, the stalactite sauna which looks like a fairy-tale cavern and the salt sauna fixed with a far-infrared therapy device.

The curative gymnastics halls are also impressive with their massage chairs emitting oxygen, fragrance of a forest and sound of music, far-infrared ray beds and physical training apparatuses.

What is most astonishing here is that ordinary working people have access to such expensive apparatuses and facilities.

People’s Open-air Ice Rink and Roller Rink

The People’s Open-air Ice Rink sharing the same roof with the Ryugyong Health Complex and the Roller Rink standing by its side are also typical structures among those recently built in Pyongyang.

The former is designed to accommodate international competitions of various events, including figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey. It is open all the year round; you can enjoy skating even in sultry days.

The latter composed of main tracks and a technical training ground is a favourite haunt of children, those aged between three and six in particular, and many other Pyongyang citizens.

The new buildings in Pyongyang are a showcase for the reality of socialist Korea that has been bringing about new successes one after another in the struggle to build a thriving nation and improve the people’s living standards.