But its two hotels are little more than empty shells, while the access road is filled with potholes, the AP news agency reported after a visit to the site in September. There are also questions about who will use the resort once it is completed. It is estimated that there are only about 5,500 North Korean skiers in a country with a population of 24 million people - equivalent to about 0.02% of the total.
Correspondents say that the Masik Pass ski resort - located in the secluded depths of North Korea‘s east coast - is the country’s latest megaproject, the product of 10 months of intensive labor. It is intended to show that Communist North Korea is as civilized and culturally advanced as any other country, despite its reputation for poverty and isolation.
Billboards around the construction site urge workers to finish the job by Thursday‘s deadline, the 68th anniversary of the formation of the Korean Workers’ Party. However, heavy rains and landslides have reportedly delayed the construction.
The resort is believed to be a pet project of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who reportedly skied when he attended secondary school in Switzerland under an assumed name.
Correspondents say that North Korea is eager to build the resort because it wants to win more medals in the Winter Olympics. Sport is seen as a useful way of mobilizing the masses and Pyongyang wants to encourage more tourism.
아주경제 앤드류 이 기자=
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com