Seoul was not the only capital on the Korean Peninsula blanketed by its first heavy snowfall of the year this week. As a low-pressure system carrying cold air swept in from the west, snow also fell across Pyongyang.
North Korea’s state media reported Friday that the city saw its first snow of the season the previous night. The state-run Korean Central Television said the snowfall arrived later than in previous years — Pyongyang typically sees its first snow in mid-November — but noted that the volume was greater than expected.
Photographs released by Pyongyang’s state-run media agencies showed contrasting scenes for their intended audiences.
The Korean Central News Agency, which typically aims for external messaging, carried images of residents walking and children playing in snow-covered urban areas, a tactic widely interpreted as an effort to project an image of a “normal country” to international audiences.
Meanwhile, Rodong Sinmun, the country’s most widely circulated newspaper at home, emphasized high-rise residential complexes — including twin 40-story apartment towers in the Hwasong district — in imagery frequently used to highlight urban development under leader Kim Jong-un and reinforce domestic unity.
North Korea forecast clear skies across most regions Friday.
Temperatures are expected to plunge to extreme lows in the northern highlands, with Paektusan seeing a morning low of minus 31 degrees Celsius and a daytime high of minus 17 C.
Other northern cities such as Jangjin, Kanggye and Hyesan are expected to drop below minus 18 C. Pyongyang is forecast to reach around minus 10 C, while Haeju on the western coast may be the warmest major city at around minus 4 C.
flylikekite@heraldcorp.com
