North Korea races against the clock to complete luxury ski resort Masik Pass

The pressure is on for builders in North Korea to complete the construction of a lavish ski resort by the end of this week.

The Masik Pass, in a secluded eastern region of the country, is supposed to be opening on Thursday 10 October to coincide with the 68th anniversary of the formation of the Korean Workers Party.

Click here or on 'view gallery' to see more images

However, the construction work seems to be behind schedule if images of the site from last month are anything to go by. The complex is made up of ski runs, resort chalets and sleigh rides but the pictures from September show half-constructed hotels and labourers busy at work.

There are propaganda boards around the area encouraging workers to finish the building. One such sign reads: "Full attack. March Forward. Let's Absolutely Finish Building Masik Pass Ski Resort Within This Year By Launching A Full Aggressive War and Full Battle."

The project has taken 10 months so far and it is hoped that once finished, the resort will attract more people to take part in sports. Masik Pass will also serve as a symbol to the world that North Korea is a thriving nation.

The secretive nation is encouraging its people to take up sports including skiing, dubbing it "the hot wind of sports blowing through Korea."