00:00North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, has inaugurated a luxury
00:29mountain resort in Samjeon, a city nestled in the northern highlands of the country.
00:36State media is portraying the project as a symbol of national progress and pride, with
00:42the resort boasting five hotels and multiple leisure facilities aimed at domestic tourists.
00:49According to the Korean Central News Agency, the complex includes cozy leisure areas, barbecue
00:56dining spots, and even hot tubs, a promise of escape and comfort amid the rugged terrain
01:03near Mount Bakhtu.
01:05During the inauguration, Kim Jong-un personally inspected the resort's facilities, from hotel
01:12bedrooms to recreation spaces and catering areas.
01:17State-released photographs show him accompanied by his daughter, widely believed to be Kim
01:22Jue, sending a strong message about potential succession and the family's hands-on leadership
01:28style.
01:30In one image, Kim was seen checking the firmness of mattresses and walking through the landscaped
01:36ground, reinforcing the narrative that the top leadership is personally overseeing projects
01:42meant to reflect comfort, quality, and modernity.
01:47Kim Jong-un and Mount Bakhtu hold deep symbolic value in North Korean ideology.
01:53The mountain is portrayed in state propaganda as sacred to the Kim family.
01:58Official narratives even claim it as the birthplace of Kim Jong-il, although historians disagree,
02:04saying he was born in the Soviet Union.
02:07Yet, the luxury on display stands in sharp contrast to North Korea's economic reality.
02:14The country ranks 118th out of 127 on the Global Hunger Index, with one in five children suffering
02:22from stunted growth due to malnutrition.
02:26Analysts also note that the average monthly wage for workers in state-run factories is estimated
02:33at just US$3, raising questions about who could actually afford to stay at such luxury resorts.
02:41The opening comes as North Korea seeks to boost tourism after reopening borders to Russian
02:47tourists in 2024 and briefly allowing Western visitors in early 2025.
02:54Chinese tourism, once a major source of revenue, has yet to return.
02:59Experts suggest the timing is also political.
03:03The resort's inauguration comes ahead of the Korean Workers' Party Congress in 2026, where
03:09economic priorities for the next five years will be outlined, with tourism expected to feature
03:15prominently in official messaging.
03:18So while the visuals of luxury mountain escapes and family leadership are prominent, the reality
03:25on the ground remains a country struggling with poverty and hunger, highlighting the contrast between
03:32image and everyday life in North Korea.
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