North Korea plans to build beach resort

After workers were urged to speed up development on a world-class ski resort as a matter of ‘patriotic’ duty, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has now turned his sights to an industrial, port city with plans to transform it into a vacation beach resort.

After workers were urged to speed up development on a world-class ski resort as a matter of ‘patriotic’ duty, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has now turned his sights to an industrial, port city with plans to transform it into a vacation beach resort.

North-Korea-plans-to-turn-the-port-city-of-Wonsan-into-a-major-tourist-destination-and-beach-resort-Photo-AFP-KCNA-via-KNS

According to declassified documents obtained by South Korean publication JoongAng Ilbo, North Korea is currently in the process of transforming the city of Wonsan on the country’s east coast into three districts: a financial district, entertainment and sports area and tourist destination.

Wonsan is port city and naval base and was one of Kim Jong-il’s favorite vacation destinations in the country. The construction of a beach resort is seen as son Kim's fulfilment of his late father's wishes.

In 2007, the elder Kim rejected proposals from former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun to develop the city into an industrial park and complex, on grounds that the bay is a “holiday destination.”

To transform the region and turn it into a resort-town, a source tells the paper that the government plans to shut down the automobile plants and shipyards which operate in the city

Meanwhile, in a bid to outshine rival South Korea, which hosts the Winter Olympic Games in the resort town of Pyeongchang in 2018, Kim issued a national appeal last month to speed up the work on the ski hill.

Mount Masik is about 20 kilometers from Wonsan.