Constructing the Socialist Way of Life

Mass housing and urban planning are a key element in North Korea's material foundation. In the post-war era, the country attempted to socialise all types of living spaces - from small apartment rooms to urban settings - based on political ideology. The idea that North Korea's political forces are brainwashing their people is superficial - as testimonies from many defectors have revealed. By exploring home culture and daily life, this book aims to capture the actual life of North Koreans, who have largely supported the country's unique dictatorial political system. To this end, it uses drawings, maps, and diagrams obtained from various archives. While these are neutral forms of communication, they also convey the actual intentions of North Korean architects and planners hidden behind the deceitful claims of political leaders. · The reconstruction of Pyongyang and Hamhung · Piotr Zaremba and the urban planning of Chongjin · The creation of Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang · The emergence of mass housing in Post-War North Korea · The introduction of microdistricts in site planning · Socialisation of rural space in North Korea · The planning of Gwangbok Street New Town in Pyongyang · The development of the housing market

Inha Jung teaches architectural history and theory at Hanyang University (ERICA Campus). He graduated from Seoul National University in 1987 and acquired his PhD at the University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne), France in 1993. After joining Hanyang University in 1995, he focused on Korean modern architecture, using investigation of archival documents to clarify Korean architects' role in, and contribution to, modernising Korean society. He has written several books: Architecture of Kim Swoo-geun (Seoul, 1996); Architecture of Kim Chung-up (Seoul, 1998); Exploring Tectonic Space (Tübingen, 2008); Architecture and Urbanism in Modern Korea (Honolulu, 2013); History of Korean Modern Architecture (Seoul, 2022). As a visiting scholar at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2007, Inha Jung collaborated with Professor Peter G. Rowe in research on East Asian modern architecture. This period was a turning point in his academic career, giving him new momentum as he broadened the scope of his research into urban studies and East Asian architecture and looked for modern aesthetic concepts in East Asia. Since then, he has intensively researched the region's modern architecture, conducting academic exchanges with Chinese and Japanese scholars.