When it comes to leisure, Kim Jong-Un is proving himself to be a man of execution. Yesterday, The Telegraph reported that Kim Jong-Un plans to make over the grim industrial port of Wonsan into a beach resort.
It seems the supreme leader is taking into account the drastic seasonal swings on the Korean Peninsula, which call for a rain-or-shine approach to tourism development. To cover the winter base, last month he shared his vision of building a ski resort on the slopes of Masik Pass Skiing Ground – complete with 68 miles worth of slopes, a resort hotel, cable cars and a heliport. On the sands of Wonsan’s Songdowon Beach, just 20 kilometers from Mount Masik, summer will now be covered too.
The plan, initially revealed by South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo, revolves around a document titled “General blueprint for the Wonsan District,” which calls for replacing the factories and shipyards that currently line the bay with three new districts, namely, a financial district and two fun zones: one for entertainment and sports, the other “a tourist destination” of some kind.
While Jong-un may be carrying out the plan, the Wonsan dream was in fact Kim Jong-Il’s. The Kim family has long enjoyed vacationing at their compound on Wonsan bay. According to a transcript of the 2007 Inter-Korea summit, which was declassified on Monday, Kim told then South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, “Wonsan is a holiday destination…We will shut down all of the factories and shipyards in Wonsan right away.”
According to a source for JoongAng Ilbo in Seoul, “North Korea is hoping to lure investment of more than $1 million from a company in Singapore [for the project]. Completion of the project relies on whether they attract foreign investment.”
While the idea of a beach resort in the DPRK may seem far-fetched, Wonsan would be in good company with a number of other strange beaches around the globe – purple sand, jumbo jet flyovers, and more.
And if Jong-Un can pull it off, he’ll have the added bonus of gaining a good place to cruise in his $7 million yacht.