Here in the North Korean capital, a new beautification project is underway.

Leader Kim Jong-un has put these soldiers to work, upgrading parks throughout Pyongyang.

This video provided by official state broadcaster KCNA shows the soldiers hard at work.

Their mission is to give North Koreans a better quality of life -- or at least better scenery.

But the upgrades are functional too -- many of these parks are being fitted with basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, as well as roller skating rinks and even mini-golf courses.

But the move raises fresh questions over whether the Kim dynasty's newest ruler has his priorities in order.

With international sanctions over weapons programmes and the insistence of the Kims on food and resources going to the military first, the general population has been on the edge of starvation for decades - and the picturesque parks will do little to help.