North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inaugurated a luxury mountain resort in the country's north, with state media releasing images of him inspecting the facilities alongside his daughter, Kim Ju Ae. The visit is seen as part of a concerted push to promote tourism and generate vital foreign currency, while also subtly reinforcing the young woman's profile as a potential successor.
Luxury Resort in a Land of Scarcity
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the new complex, located in the city of Samjiyon, features five hotels, cosy leisure areas, barbecue dining venues, and hot tubs. During the visit on Tuesday 23 December 2025, Kim Jong Un was said to have examined bedrooms, leisure spaces, and catering facilities.
Photographs distributed by state media showed the leader pressing down on mattresses to test their firmness, while his daughter observed. The resort is intended to be an "attractive mountainous tourist resort and leisure ground for the people", according to KCNA.
This display of luxury stands in stark contrast to the economic reality for most North Koreans. The nation remains one of the world's poorest by GDP per capita and ranks 118th out of 127 nations on the Global Hunger Index, with approximately one in five children suffering stunted growth due to malnutrition.
Tourism as a Lifeline Under Sanctions
The opening of the Samjiyon resort continues Kim Jong Un's personal drive to develop a tourism industry. Tourism represents one of the few legal avenues for North Korea to earn foreign currency, as most other economic activities are restricted by stringent United Nations sanctions related to its nuclear and military programmes.
Pyongyang began loosening its strict border controls in 2023 after a three-year pandemic closure. However, the campaign has faced setbacks. Earlier in 2025, the regime abruptly barred foreigners from a newly promoted "world-class" beach resort on its east coast just weeks after its launch.
The choice of Samjiyon is symbolically significant. The area is close to Mount Paektu, the Korean Peninsula's highest peak, which North Korean propaganda claims as the birthplace of Kim's father, Kim Jong Il. Most historians, however, believe Kim Jong Il was born in the Soviet Union.
The Succession Narrative Gains Momentum
The highly stage-managed appearance of Kim Ju Ae is the latest in a series of events that analysts interpret as building a narrative for a potential future succession. South Korean intelligence estimates she is 12 or 13 years old and is the only one of Kim Jong Un's children regularly seen in public.
She has increasingly accompanied her father at major events, a role once filled by her mother, Ri Sol Ju. State media, which typically avoids naming her, now frequently refers to her with honorifics like "beloved" or "respected."
Cheong Seong Chang, an analyst at South Korea's Sejong Institute, suggested that Kim likely believes his daughter has the capacity to succeed him. "By accompanying her father on major events, it's like she's learning kingship and building a human network at a tender age," he said.
While promoting the resort, Kim Jong Un praised its development as "clear proof of the ever-growing ideal of our people and our state's potential for development." State media went further, claiming it showed citizens had "nothing to envy in the world." The international community continues to watch these domestic propaganda efforts closely, as they unfold against a backdrop of enduring economic hardship and geopolitical isolation.
