{
  "id": 19207285,
  "title": "Pyongyang tenants haul water up dark stairwells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/pyongyang-tenants-haul-water-up-dark-stairwells",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T19:29:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily NK",
    "slug": "daily-nk",
    "url": "https://www.dailynk.com/english/pyongyang-power-shortage-high-rise-apartments-crackdown/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the fall of 2026, a power shortage in North Korea's capital city, Pyongyang, has left many new high-rise apartment buildings without elevators or running water. The Ryokpo district, located on the southeastern outskirts of the city, is experiencing the most severe effects. A source in Pyongyang told Daily NK of the growing discontent among residents. Many of the 20-30 story apartment buildings receive less than two hours of electricity per day, causing elevators to stop and water pumps to shut down. To obtain water, tenants are now climbing hundreds of stairs each day, carrying heavy containers by hand or on their shoulders. As winter approaches, the lack of electricity and heating makes life even more difficult, with families unable to run electric heaters or even burn coal. Some residents have openly expressed frustration, accusing the state of trapping them in a \"prison\" that is \"killing us.\" The North Korean authorities, however, view these complaints as a political threat rather than a practical issue. They have mobilized the Ministry of Social Security to investigate and punish those who speak out, treating the complaints as anti-socialist behavior and launching ideological self-criticism sessions for residents caught complaining.",
  "summary": "A worsening Pyongyang power shortage has left the capital’s new high-rises without elevators or running water in fall 2026. Rather than fixing the problem, North Korean authorities are hunting down the people who complain about it. Discontent over the erratic electricity supply is growing in a cluster of new apartment towers in Ryokpo district. A […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}