The hotel at the Masikryong Ski Resort. Image by, Bjørn Christian Tørrissen
It is being reported that North Korea is planning to build another new ski resort near Wonsan. The expansion plans will involve the construction of a completely separate ski resort, which will be built close by and then physically linked to the existing Masikryong facilities.
“The manager at Masikryong Hotel told me that there were plans to build a second resort and join it up with Masik,” Sarah Davies of Koryo Tours told NK News.
“This won’t be happening this year and he didn’t specify exactly where the new resort would be but that’s the long term plan,” she added.
North Korea’s first major ski resort project, Masikryong ski resort, opened a year ago. The ski facility became highly controversial due to the costs involved that are ultimately being spent at the expense of fulfilling more critical needs of the North Korea people.
The Development Project planning document for Masikryong, obtained by NK News in 2013, revealed the total projected cost of constructing the current resort to be in excess of 120 million euros ($150m).
Taehwa Peak, the highest point at the Masikryong Ski Resort, photographed from about midway in the second of three ski lifts needed to bring you from the bottom of the slopes to the top. Image by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen