Recent satellite images capture the gradual disappearance of uninhabited islands in the Taedong River in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang as a result of the extraction of sand and gravel to serve as aggregate in construction projects.
Around ten ships are busy mining aggregate from islands of various sizes around Turu Island. Satellite images show the aggregate mining operations began early last year, and several of these islands are expected to vanish from the face of the earth within the year.
The aggregate mining operations on the Taedong River in Pyongyang are a major resource exploitation project that the North Korean government is pursuing for state building and infrastructure development. The sand and gravel extracted from the river are being used as aggregate in a variety of construction projects, including roads, bridges and building foundations. A portion of the sand is apparently being earmarked for export purposes.
Recent satellite images show islands in the Taedong River in Pyongyang being completely dismantled in the course of aggregate mining.

Two of the main islands in the Taedong River in Pyongyang are Turu and Konyu. Like Yeouido in Seoul, these islands formed from the accumulation of sediment such as sand and gravel.
But smaller islands around Turu Island in Pyongyang have been disappearing, one after another, since last year, as ships have been extracting sand and gravel for use as aggregate in construction projects. These mining activities have been observed at four islands to the west and south of Turu Island in satellite images taken since late spring 2024.

To the west of Turu Island is an uninhabited island called Tudan (or Taekki) with an area of 3.6 hectares—about the size of five FIFA football fields (105 by 68 meters). While structures (perhaps warehouses or barns) can be observed on the upper part of the island in satellite images, the island has no permanent human habitation.
Until March 2024, the island remained intact. But in June 2025, aggregate mining ships gathered around the island and began chipping away at the island bit by bit, starting with its upper portion. Readers should note that these satellite images do not show the island being eroded by flooding on the Taedong River but being dismembered as part of sand mining operations.
Satellite images from June show 12 aggregate mining ships engaged in operations on both sides of the island. At the top of the image, three ships are working away at the island, splitting it into two. A significant part of the top part of the island has already been removed. The image on the right, from mid-September of this year, shows that the island has been broken up into pieces, like a bug-eaten cabbage leaf. A small fragment remains at the bottom left, while aggregate mining ships continue to eat away at the island’s upper portion. Before long, this island will probably be wiped off the map.

Aggregate mining is also underway in the small islands to the south of Turu. Those islands are gradually changing shape as they are eaten away. The island in the middle of the satellite image, which measured 0.16 hectares, has already disappeared altogether. Two islands on the left (each measuring 0.15 hectares) are in the process of being dismantled by aggregate mining vessels and will likely soon disappear, too. The island on the right (0.53 hectares in area) apparently remains intact for now. But that island is presumably the next target of aggregate mining operations that will reduce it to nothing as well.
The limitations and negative impact of aggregate mining operations
Relevant research identifies a range of problems with the extraction of aggregate from rivers and other waterways. Chief among these is the potential destruction of natural ecosystems. Mining dislodges not just sediments but also heavy metals and other pollutants that worsen water quality, potentially degrading biodiversity in the river. Overextraction can erode riverbanks and cause topographical changes through the loss of riverbed sand.
Such operations can also alter the course of the water, increasing the risk of flooding and the likelihood that riverside embankments will collapse. Such risks often lead to friction between developers and conservation advocates. The resulting ecosystem degradation includes the destruction of habitats and breeding grounds for fish and bottom dwellers and the deterioration of riverside vegetation and wetland ecosystems, potentially reducing biodiversity.
The dismantlement of an uninhabited island to extract aggregate would be unthinkable in South Korea. There would be intense opposition from environmental groups and other nonprofits. But that is exactly what is happening right now in Pyongyang, which North Koreans call the “capital of the revolution.”
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