Masik Pass, North Korea – Apparently miffed by Pyeongchang, South Korea receiving the nod to host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered his military to construct a “world class” ski resort in his country, drawing international criticism for spending money on a lavish enterprise while many in his country go hungry.
The ski area is under construction on Masik Pass in Kangwon Province, where Kim Jong-un held a press event this week showing him providing “on the spot field guidance” in the facility’s construction. The region’s highest peaks reach around 4,400 feet, where the slopes reportedly hold snow from November through March. Kim’s plans call for lifts, hotels and a heli-port, and the possibility that a nearby military airstrip could be converted to civilian use to host tourists.
“[Kim] mounted an observation deck to hear a detailed report of the construction of the skiing ground,” the state-run North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. “He was greatly satisfied to learn that soldier-builders have constructed a skiing area on mountain ranges covering hundreds of thousands of square meters, including primary, intermediate and advanced courses with almost 110,000 meters (68.3 miles) in total length and 40-120 meters (130-400 feet) in width.”
The North Korean leader perhaps familiarized himself with skiing during the seven years he spent studying in Switzerland during his youth. There is already a simple ski hill in North Korea at the town of Samjiyon, serviced by a single double chairlift, but some of the country’s defectors indicate that it’s primary purpose is military training.
It is expected that any potential North Korean ski resort’s target market would be China. Whether or not the resort is another of Kim’s publicity stunts for domestic and international media remains to be seen. While he’s calling for the resort to open this coming winter, judging from the photos released the construction still has a long way to go, and U.N. sanctions forbid the export of luxury goods to North Korea, including ski equipment. Kim is therefore calling on domestic industry to build the necessary lifts, ski equipment and apparel within his own country.