Kim Jong-un's luxury ski resort appears unaffected by UN sanctions
An overview of the Masikryong Ski Resort from the top of its slopes, photographed on Jan. 31 / Joint Press Corps
Masikryong features luxury amenities
By Yi Whan-woo, Joint Press Corps
The Masikryong Ski Resort near North Korea’s east coast city of Wonsan in (North)Gangwon Province appears unaffected by U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on the repressive state.
The souvenir stores of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s pet project were filled with international luxury brands, including Bally handbags, Kenzo perfumes and colognes, and Lancome cosmetics, according to a pool of South Korean journalists who visited there from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.
The journalists accompanied South Korean skiers who were invited for joint training with North Korean athletes as part of preparations for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which will kick off Feb. 9.
The stores also sell products from well-known sports and outdoor equipment brands, such as Nike gym clothes, Adidas hats and socks, and The North Face backpacks.
A hotel at the Masikryong Ski Resort, photographed on Feb. 1 / Joint Press Corps
A souvenir store inside the hotel at the Masikryong Ski Resort, photographed on Feb. 1 / Joint Press Corps
The nightclub within the resort’s hotel was equipped with Yamaha drums and sold a range of imported liquors and beverages, such as Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal blended Scotch whiskies, Heineken beer and Perrier sparking mineral water. The hotel bar had an espresso coffee machine by La Cimbali, an Italian manufacturer of professional espresso and cappuccino equipment. The coffee machine is sold for 14 million won ($12,800) in the South.
Built in December 2013, the multimillion dollar resort is the brainchild of the Swiss-educated Kim. The 14 square-kilometer resort also features 10 immaculate slopes, an Austrian-made cable car system, four snowmobiles from Canadian company Ski-Doo, an ice skating rink, a beauty salon, a swimming pool with waterfalls, a spa and restaurants.
The resort’s luxurious amenities raise questions over the effectiveness of the series of sanctions imposed by the UNSC on North Korea as punishment for pursuing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The punishment includes a ban on the supply of luxury goods to the secretive state, varying from jewelry and precious stones to recreational sports equipment.
Tourism on the east coast
Meanwhile, North Korea has been making efforts to promote the planned construction of the Wonsan Kalma Shore Tourist Zone on the east coast, which includes Kalma International Airport and the Masikryong Ski Resort.
On Feb. 2, DPRK Today, a China-based news website sponsored by North Korea, released an interview with a senior Pyongyang official who claimed that the proposed tourist zone, a beach resort, will be “filled with be multiple levels of enjoyment, including uniquely designed multi-story hotels, a movie theater, an outdoor performance stage, an indoor swimming pool and a leisure complex.”
“They will make the country and this magnificent tourist spot the envy of the world,” the official said.
He also said the tourist zone will be “bigger and even greater in quality than Mirae Scientists Street,” referring to a district in Pyongyang that opened in November 2015 and is dedicated for nuclear scientists and missile engineers.
On Jan. 25, the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency said the Wonsan Kalma Shore Tourist Zone is expected to attract domestic and foreign tourists.
In his New Year address, Kim ordered the military to cooperate with civilians to complete the resort’s construction at the earliest possible date. Citing sources, 38 North, a U.S. website specializing in North Korea-related issues, said Pyongyang officials want to complete the project before July 27, a day the North celebrates as “Victory Day” and the South recognizes as the end of the 1950-53 Korean War with an armistice agreement.