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North Korea Opens Five Samjiyon Hotels as Kim Tours Resort With Daughter

Analysts say the build-out targets foreign tourists to raise hard currency before the 2026 party congress.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae stand at a hotel reception counter as they attend an inauguration ceremony for hotels in the tourist resort in Samjiyon City, North Korea, December 20, 2025, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) and his daughter, Ju-ae, take a tour of the newly built Ikkal and Milyong hotels in Samjiyon, a northern city near Mount Paektu, on Dec. 20, 2025, in this photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 23. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
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Overview

  • State media said ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday inaugurated five modern hotels in the Samjiyon tourist zone near Mount Paektu by the Chinese border.
  • Photos showed Kim Jong Un touring rooms with his daughter Ju-ae and inspecting amenities including hot tubs, indoor and outdoor baths, and barbecue restaurants.
  • KCNA presented the project as evidence of national progress, repeating claims that citizens are the “most dignified” with “nothing to envy.”
  • Analysts said the resort is aimed at foreign visitors, with expectations of drawing group tours from China to generate hard-currency revenue under sanctions.
  • Authorities disclosed no pricing or access details, raising questions over who can use the facilities as Pyongyang spotlights economic achievements ahead of the party congress.