East Germany Rebuilt Hamhung Free

After the Korean War destroyed an estimated 80 to 90 percent of Hamhung and its industrial infrastructure, East Germany promised to help North Korea rebuild the city. In 1955, it formed the German Working Group Hamhung and sent planners, architects, geologists, and engineers to provide designs, materials, training, and project management. East German and North Korean teams built housing, industrial districts, roads, utilities, schools, hospitals, factories, cultural facilities, and a railway station. By the time the project ended in 1962, East Germany had invested an estimated 118 million to 218.4 million East German marks.

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