North Korea has ordered the transformation of Samjiyon into a world-class winter tourism destination, despite lacking the funds and resources needed for such an ambitious project.
“The Central Committee’s Economic Affairs Department and the State General Bureau of Tourist Guidance issued a joint order at the end of August for Samjiyon to be turned into the world’s finest and best-known alpine tourism resort,” a source in Ryanggang province told Daily NK on Monday.
The order outlines a massive strategic project designed to capitalize on the political symbolism of Samjiyon—home to Mount Paektu, North Korea’s most sacred location—while turning the area into an international tourist destination and money-maker for the cash-strapped economy.
The government’s plan includes seven major goals: marketing revolutionary historical sites to foreign tourists, renovating hotels and museums for international visitors, installing modern communications networks for reservations and payments, upgrading the local airport and railroads, building an international resort near lakes and hot springs, creating a cultural marketplace, and beautifying the landscape.
Local officials skeptical about unrealistic timeline
Despite the grand vision, local officials are already expressing doubts about the project’s feasibility.
“The Samjiyon municipal party committee and people’s committee plan to get provincial approval for their action plan in September, revise it in October, seek feedback in early November, and submit the final plan to central authorities,” the source said.
Party and government officials in Samjiyon have been moving quickly to follow their orders. However, given shortages of materials, unreliable electricity, and a tight construction timeline, local officials have been sarcastically saying that “despite all the talk about building a global tourist destination, this will end up looking more like fixing up a local guesthouse.”
North Koreans also point out that modernizing facilities and building digital infrastructure are essentially impossible without funding from the central government—money that hasn’t been allocated.
“Local officials say that building a communications network and modernizing the Samjiyon airfield will likely proceed very slowly without support from the Central Committee,” the source said.
The project is expected to require large numbers of soldiers and civilians to be forced into construction work, a prospect that worries local residents.
“Samjiyon citizens are quietly horrified at the thought of being forced to work on more construction sites. Party organizations are monitoring this type of complaint and applying ideological pressure to control the mood,” the source said.
The ambitious tourism plan reflects North Korea’s desperate need for foreign currency amid international sanctions, but the gap between the government’s grand vision and the reality of limited resources highlights the challenges facing Kim Jong Un’s economic projects.
