The story is more interesting than I initially suspected, however. It appears that the DPRK is building two highways between Tongrim and Sinuiju. One highway will probably be for public, commercial, and international traffic. The other road is likely reserved for “you-know-who” and other senior policy makers. Below is a map of both these highways between Tongrim and Sinuiju. The “elite road” is the road to the right that connects Tongrim to Kim Jong-il’s compound in Sinuiju and the Uiju Airforce Base. You can see the map below:
It is not clear where these roads go south of Tongrim because the satellite imagery predates the highway construction.
There are several highways in the DPRK that are reserved for Kim Jong il and other senior policymakers. Below is the highway that connects Pyongyang to leadership compounds in Hyangsan and Changsong (on the Chinese border).
“There are several highways in the DPRK that are reserved for Kim Jong il and other senior policymakers.”
Is there a source for this?
I am a source. What’s wrong with me?
Seriously, I have mapped out many roads that connect Pyongyang with various elite compounds in the DPRK. Myohyangsan, Wonsan, Changsong, Samjiyon, and Sinchon all have dedicated roads. It is fair to say that when the leadership is not using them they are public (in some cases but not all). But having seen the effective security protocols when KJI is around, I can assure you that no one is allowed on the same road as him for quite some time before and during his travels.
I am a busy man and don’t want to do your research for you, but there are plenty of sources out there. Here are a couple of things I pulled of Google just now:
1. http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?num=3160&cataId=nk01500
2. http://tinyurl.com/2ccu9h8
Also… I believe that Helen Louise-Hunter wrote that there were roads reserved for KIS in Pyongyang, but I am not going to bother looking for the page. I would believe that these procedures are still in place for KJI.
…and finally, I have also located over a dozen private train stations reserved for the elite. You can see some here: https://www.nkeconwatch.com/2009/11/09/kims-train-stations/