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| Foreign tourists dine in the dining section of a train in North Korea in this photo revealed by North Korea's tourism website DPRKorea Tour, run by the North's National Tourism Administration. DPRKorea Tour-Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
While North Korea has staged military tests involving missiles and rockets, the country's leadership seems to be focusing on bolstering its economy, especially boosting construction projects for tourism.
The Minju Choson, an organ for North Korea's Cabinit and the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) Presidium, has been publishing articles on tourist attractions and construction projects in different regions in recent days.
The most frequently highlighted project is in Samjiyon County, the site of the large-scale construction of what the North's leader Kim Jong-un has described as a "socialist utopia" with new apartments, hotels, a ski resort and commercial, cultural and medical facilities, set for completion in October 2020.
Encouraging the construction workers at the site, the Minju Choson published an article Thursday in which it said a "shock brigade" consisting of young people had successfully completed the initial excavation work for 30 new apartments in Samjiyon in recent weeks.
It also highlighted construction projects in the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone in Kangwon Province and in the hot spring area of Yangdok County, South Pyongan Province. Workers and residents were urged to support the projects by providing necessary material such as food and construction materials as well as labor.
North Korea is also promoting existing tourist programs with its National Tourism Administration promoting various programs on its website DPRKorea Tour.
The website presents a wide range of tours, including transportation via planes, trains and bicycles alongside activities such as hiking, surfing and walking.
The North's focus on tourism comes at a time when the country is suffering economic sanctions over its weapons programs.
The North sought a partial sanctions exemption in a summit with the U.S. in Hanoi, Vietnam, late February, but this ended in failure.
Amid the deadlocked talks, North Korea has conducted missile launches, May 4 and 9.
