Kim Jong Un and daughter pictured visiting mountain resort, eating BBQ and testing beds in bizarre photoshoot

Opening of luxury resort continues North Korean leader’s tourism push

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inaugurated a luxury mountain resort featuring what state media described as cosy leisure areas, barbecue dining venues, and hot tubs.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that the newly opened complex with five hotels in Samjiyon, a city in the country’s rugged northern region, was designed to be an “attractive mountainous tourist resort and leisure ground for the people”.

During his visit, Mr Kim reportedly inspected a range of facilities, including “bedrooms of hotels, cosy leisure spaces and commercial and public catering facilities”, KCNA said.

Pictures released by state media showed Mr Kim walking through the resort along with his daughter – widely believed to be Kim Ju Ae and regarded as a possible successor – as he examined hotel rooms and was seen pressing down on mattresses to assess their firmness.

North Korea remains one of the world’s poorest countries based on GDP per capita and ranks 118th out of 127 nations on the Global Hunger Index, with around one in five children suffering from stunted growth due to malnutrition.

Yet North Korean propaganda is increasingly cherry-picking newly built resorts for coverage, often promoted by Mr Kim himself, as it tries to portray a semblance of normality and attract high-spending foreign tourists.

Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae inspect the Milyong Hotel in the Samjiyon tourist district of Ryanggang (AFP via Getty)

Tourism remains one of the few ways North Korea can legally earn foreign currency since most of its economic activities are restricted by UN sanctions related to its nuclear and military expansion.

It hasn’t been a smooth process – earlier this year the regime abruptly barred foreigners from a newly opened beach resort on its east coast just weeks after promoting it as a “world-class tourist and cultural destination”.

Mr Kim’s appearance at the resort with his daughter is the latest in a string of tightly stage-managed events that observers see as subtly reinforcing a possible succession storyline.

State media, which typically don’t name her, now frequently describe Kim Ju Ae as “beloved” or “respected” or a “great person of guidance”.

Pyongyang hasn’t officially confirmed many details about her and she is not formally talked about as part of a possible succession plan.

South Korean intelligence officials believe Kim Ju Ae is about 12 or 13 years old and one of at least two or three children. She’s the only one regularly shown in public, accompanying Mr Kim at key events in a role that once belonged to her mother Ri Sol Ju.

Kim Jong Un and his daughter inspect the Milyong Hotel in the Samjiyon tourist district (AFP via Getty)

Cheong Seong Chang, an analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea, said Mr Kim likely believed his daughter had the capacity and resolve to succeed him as leader.

“By accompanying her father on major events, it’s like she’s learning kingship and building a human network at a tender age,” Mr Cheong said.

Meanwhile, Mr Kim reportedly praised the development of the resort as “clear proof of the ever-growing ideal of our people and our state’s potential for development”.

North Korean media further claimed the resort demonstrated that the country’s citizens were the “most dignified” and had “nothing to envy in the world”.

Earlier this year, Mr Kim unveiled a beach resort featuring hotels, restaurants, water slides, and shopping centres in a move to promote tourism.

The leader was seen enjoying the Wonsan Kalma retreat on the east coast in July, relaxing poolside next to his daughter with a pack of cigarettes and a cold drink.

Kim Jong Un and his daughter inspecting the Ikkal Hotel in the Samjiyon tourist district (AFP via Getty)

The resort covers a 4km stretch of beach and can accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, according to state media.

Samjiyon, where the latest resort is, holds deep symbolic importance in North Korean propaganda, given its proximity to Mount Paektu – the highest peak on the Korean Peninsula – which official narratives claim as the birthplace of Mr Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il. Most historians, however, maintain that Kim Jong Il was born in the Soviet Union.

According to The Korea Herald of South Korea, Mr Kim is seeking to transform Samjiyon into a flagship tourism hub as the country looks to attract visitors and generate hard currency under the weight of international sanctions.

Pyongyang started loosening its border restrictions in 2023 after three years of almost no tourism due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with no foreign visitors allowed in and limited information coming out.