North Korea’s Masikryong Ski Resort to Be Completed This Year
According to Yonhap News Agency on the 18th, citing U.S. media reports, the representative of UriTour, a specialized travel agency in North Korea, said that the North Korean authorities informed the agency on the 16th that the Masikryong Ski Resort will be completed by the end of next month. The first ski tour group is scheduled to visit North Korea on January 24 next year.
According to the report, this group of tourists will visit Pyongyang and the Joint Security Area (Panmunjom) before January 24 next year, and then head to the Masikryong Ski Resort from the 28th to the 30th. The second and third groups are set to visit North Korea on February 28 and March 8, respectively.
The report stated that the price of this tour package is approximately $2,900–$3,300. The Masikryong Ski Resort not only has hotels and medical facilities but also features a helicopter landing pad to transport patients in case of skiing accidents.
According to the agency’s representative, while the North Korean authorities have traditionally prohibited foreign tourists from entering during the winter, this year they took the initiative to invite foreign visitors to participate in the “New Year’s Bell-Ringing Ceremony,” signaling an increased effort to attract international tourists.
The Masikryong Ski Resort is located in the Wonsan area of Kangwon Province, North Korea, and was constructed in early 2013 under the directive of North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un visited the under-construction resort multiple times, instructing the military construction workers to expedite the project with the goal of opening it by the end of 2013.