North Korea Opens Five Hotels in Samjiyon Near Mount Paektu

North Korea Opens Five Hotels in Samjiyon After Years of Construction Delays

North Korea has officially opened five newly built hotels in Samjiyon, a city near Mount Paektu and the Chinese border, according to state media reports released on Tuesday. The openings come up to seven years after construction on the facilities first began.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the 300-room Ikal Hotel in central Samjiyon and the Milyong Hotel and spa resort in a mountainous area near the border on Saturday, accompanied by his wife and young daughter. State media images showed the family touring multi-room accommodations, indoor swimming pools, billiards areas, and conference facilities.

Separately, senior party officials inaugurated three additional properties on Sunday: the 500-room Potnamu Hotel in the city centre and the Sobaeksu and Chongbong hotels located at the base of the Pegaebong ski hill. Kim Jong Un did not attend these ceremonies. All five hotels feature amenities typical of high-end accommodations, suggesting a focus on affluent domestic guests.

Coverage by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) emphasized domestic tourism. It did not reference plans for foreign visitors, despite Kim having previously stated during a July 2024 visit that Samjiyon would play a role in revitalising international tourism. The report described the hotels as part of a new phase of state-led development projects aimed at expanding leisure and service infrastructure for North Korean citizens.

Officials speaking at the opening events reportedly said Samjiyon is intended to develop into a mountain tourism and leisure destination for residents. Kim also called for expanding professional training systems for service workers to meet growing consumer needs.

Recent satellite imagery has shown extensive infrastructure upgrades in the area since Kim’s last visit, including the expansion of Samjiyon Airport, the construction of a new elevated railway station, and the redevelopment of a former military ski facility into a larger resort complex.

Although current messaging focuses on domestic use, the city’s proximity to China suggests potential future appeal to foreign visitors, particularly from China, if broader tourism restrictions are lifted. North Korea suspended international tourism in January 2020 and has since allowed only limited foreign visitors, mainly from Russia, under restricted conditions.

Analysis of satellite data indicates that construction on the hotels was repeatedly delayed, likely due to financial constraints and border closures during the pandemic. The Ikal and Potnamu hotels began construction in mid-2018, followed by the ski-area hotels later that year, while the Milyong Hotel started around 2020.

Recent changes to hotel naming also indicate a shift in positioning. Facilities previously labelled as “ryogwan,” a term typically used for lower-tier accommodation, have been rebranded as “hotels” in both Korean and English, aligning them more clearly with higher-end usage.

The openings highlight continued state investment in tourism-related infrastructure, even as access for international travellers remains uncertain.