DPRK sports and tourism20

Sports and Tourism
2020
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MAY 2020

Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort: Reduction of Workers and Slowed Construction
By: Peter Makowsky May 19, 2020 Despite North Korea?s previously stated ambition to open the Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort around this year?s Day of the Sun (April 15), the deadline has passed and several resort facilities remain incomplete. Commercial satellite imagery indicates that while a large section of the temporary housing village for construction workers has been razed, construction continues at a gradual pace, although no new deadline is reported. [Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort] [Tourism] [Coronavirus]

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APRIL 2020

2021 Pyongyang Marathon
By Koryo Tours 2021 Pyongyang Marathon Tours are now available for booking It?s time to lace up your running shoes and start training as the 2021 Pyongyang Marathon is expected to be on Sunday 11th April and tours are now available to book! Koryo Tours is the official event partner of the Pyongyang Marathon, and we?re excited to bring you tours for the 2021 Pyongyang Marathon which feature new tour options and some exciting new tour itineraries. [Pyongyang Marathon 2021]
N.Korea Recruits Hostesses for Tourists
By Kim Myong-song April 08, 2020 10:53 North Korea is recruiting large numbers of women to look after foreign visitors as the isolated regime focuses on building up its tourism industry. A source on Tuesday said the Workers Party politburo has set up a new department and is recruiting women as tour guides during the day and hostesses by night. Women who are recruited to entertain high-ranking officials are chosen based on their loyalty to the party, but the new hostesses will be chosen based on their looks and vivacious personality. "Politburo members will choose the finalists based on physical exams and interviews," the source said. "One hundred have already been chosen and are undergoing training." "They will work in hotels and bars to cater to foreigners as soon as the coronavirus pandemic eases," the source added. Pedestrians walk in the street in Pyongyang, in this grab from [North] Korean Central Television on April 5. There are rumors that they will charge US$100 an hour for their companionship, 70 percent of which will be confiscated by the party. "Rumors say that the women will earn a lot of money, so there've been a lot of applicants. Many women who'd worked in restaurants abroad returned to the North to apply." One former senior North Korean official said, "North Korean authorities are in desperate need of money due to international sanctions, so they're even preparing to offer 'kisaeng' tourism packages," referring to entertainers similar to the Japanese geisha. Tourism is practically the sole source of hard currency for the North under international sanctions. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is personally pushing frantic construction in the Samjiyeon, Wonsan and Kalma tourist zones. [Tourism]
Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort: April Opening Feels Doubtful
By: Peter Makowsky April 2, 2020 Recent commercial satellite imagery of the Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort suggests plans to open the resort in April 2020 may be delayed, as construction appears to have dramatically slowed since the end of 2019. While sanctions are believed to have hindered sourcing necessary finishing materials, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is likely having a greater impact on the resort?s construction schedule, as tourism has been suspended. Background During an April 2019 site visit to the Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort, Kim Jong Un postponed the construction deadline for completion from October 2019 to April 2020, to coincide with the ?Day of the Sun? (Kim Il Sung?s birthday). Kim justified the delay as wanting to avoid hurrying construction, giving the workers enough time to ?perfectly finish? the tourist area in time for ?sea-bathing season,? and focusing on quality over speed. This delay may also have been a face-saving gesture, as construction was behind schedule, with reports suggesting that sanctions were hindering the acquisition of many of the finishing materials. During that site visit, Kim also instructed the integration of more compelling building designs, more leisure facilities and amenities and inclusion for more greenspaces and decorative elements?instructions that required changes to the resort?s master plan. Construction efforts were accelerated from April through the end of the year, with unique design features, new high rises, improved leisure facilities and beautification efforts observed nearing completion by end of year. [Wonsan] [Tourism] [Coronavirus]

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MARCH 2020

Pyongyang Marathon 2020 Cancelled
We received official confirmation this week that the 2020 Pyongyang Marathon has been cancelled due to ongoing fears over the coronavirus and the related border closure. You can find our statement on the cancellation here. For those still keen to run the streets of North Korea's enigmatic capital, however, the marathon is held annually and we encourage all keen runners to keep an eye out for our April 2021 Pyongyang Marathon Tours. However, Pyongyang isn't the only marathon we cater to. Get the chance to run the streets of Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, on our Run Dushanbe tours. This half-marathon is a unique chance to run alongside locals through a beautiful and rarely seen city. [Coronavirus] [Pyongyang Marathon]

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JANUARY 2020

Gov't Hell-Bent on Reviving Travel to N.Korea
January 21, 2020 11:17 The South Korean government remains hell-bent on stimulating individual tourism to North Korea despite U.S. warnings that this could violate sanctions and accusations of brazen electioneering. A Unification Ministry official said Monday, "People from all over the world are going there. We don't have to apply particularly strict standards on trips by individual travelers." The official made the comments in response to a reminder from reporters of the 2008 shooting death of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier at Mt. Kumgang resort, which put an end to package tours to the North and for which Pyongyang has never apologized. [SK NK policy] [Detente] [Tourism] [Rightwing] [US disapproval]
Yanggakdo Hotel 2019: First Exclusive Photos of Renovations at North Korea's Most Famous Hotel
By Koryo Tours The Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang has undergone a facelift. The Yanggakdo Hotel, or Yanggakdo International Hotel (???????), located on an island in the heart of Pyongyang, is North Korea's most famous hotel. This temporary home away from home on many a journey to North Korea has recently undergone an interior design redesign of the hotel lobby ? from classic 1990's to futuristic Ashgabat airport Turkmen modern chic (if you don't get the ref, join us in Turkmenistan). Closed since early this year, the hotel is now reopen for business. And Koryo tours were first to get an exclusive inside the new and improved Yanggakdo Hotel.
Paektusan Highland Trek
he 2019 expedition was a great success! We got to explore more untrodden ridges and hope to explore more in 2020. For a week, six guests, including two ethnic Koreans, trekked across the untouched Paektu plateau, sleeping in tents, cooking around campfires, and enjoying the hospitality of our local guides. I am now taking inquiries for next years expedition. Same as 2019, we are looking for an early September start. Application forms and confirmed itinerary will be posted here soon. Meanwhile feel free to make an inquiry here.
?A mind-opening encounter with the most misunderstood country of our present time. Intimate encounters with local guides, spiritual mountains and delightful local food and flora. Gritty historical narratives intertwined with on-the-ground reconnaissance of historic sites combine for a deep-dive into the forces that shape modern-day DPRK. Not for soft souls or closed minds.? Floyd Morgan, September 19 2019.
SEPTEMBER 7th to 18th, 2020. All guests must arrive in Beijing by Sep the 6th before 4pm where we will meet at a central location and be handed our visas.

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