North Korea has built a large ski resort, Kanggye, which is the second largest ski area after Masikryong, which opened in 2013. The facility was commissioned last Sunday. The project was completed ahead of schedule, reports North Korean publication Ryugyong.
The design and construction of the complex, located near the northern city of Kanggye, close to the Chinese border, took no more than 10 months. Construction began last July on the orders of the country's leader, Kim Jong-un.
The ski area covers 12 hectares with a 530-meter main slope suitable for beginners and intermediate skiers. According to North Korean sources, the resort also boasts a 200-meter slope, restaurants, and hotels.
Back in 2013, during the construction of the Masikryong resort, North Korea was prevented from importing a chairlift from Switzerland due to trade sanctions, which the regime called a "serious human rights violation." Instead, it was forced to commission a 30-year-old Austrian lift, sold to North Korea by China.
To avoid UN sanctions preventing the development of a new resort in Kangan, the ski lift was built locally.
The urgent opening of the second resort is due to the fact that the country is actively involved in negotiations with South Korea in order to secure its participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Snow sports in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea only began to develop in late 2016, when professional skier Sam Smoothie from New Zealand filmed his trip to the Masikryong slopes and shared his impressions with colleagues, noting that the slopes were empty and most tourists were still learning to ski.
Source: trn-news.ru