Analysis of Urban Vitality in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Using Geospatial Data and Nighttime Light Satellite Imagery

Urban vitality is an important indicator for assessing the growth potential of cities and the quality of life of citizens.Its significance is increasingly recognized due to its ability to reflect the diverse characteristics of urban environments.In the case of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the unique political system and social ideology are deeply embedded in urban spaces and society, making it difficult to fully understand the conditions through socioeconomic indicators alone.Therefore, analyzing urban vitality is essential for gaining a deeper understanding of DPRK.This study aims to estimate a regional-level urban vitality indicator that captures the dynamic characteristics of cities in DPRK and to analyze the country's urban vitality based on this indicator.To achieve this, urban vitality indicators were defined using socioeconomic data from Republic of Korea, and machine learning techniques were applied to estimate the urban vitality indicators for DPRK.A qualitative analysis of DPRK was then conducted based on the estimated values of these indicators.The results of this study demonstrate that areas with higher urban vitality in DPRK are typically those where government-led developments have occurred, while regions with lower urban vitality are primarily agricultural areas, islands, and mountainous regions with limited accessibility.Furthermore, the study found that the actual nighttime power supply is insufficient when compared to the infrastructure levels in major cities of DPRK.The methodology proposed in this study can be expanded to other inaccessible regions, including the DPRK.Therefore, the urban vitality derived from this study is expected to be useful for policymaking in the DPRK and other restricted regions in the future.