[News Today] N. Korea unveils new tourism complex

[LEAD]
North Korea completed its massive Wonsan-Kalma beach resort and is preparing to welcome guests. Marking her first public appearance in a year and a half, leader Kim Jong-un's spouse Ri Sol-ju attended the ceremony.

[REPORT]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un heads to the venue of a construction completion ceremony in a yacht.

Trailing Kim and his daughter is the North Korean leader's spouse Ri Sol-ju dressed in trousers and carrying an imported luxury bag.

It's her first public appearance since the New Year concert held a year and a half ago.

Ri stayed low-key behind her daughter, Ju-ae, who virtually acted as first lady by greeting dignitaries.

N. Korean Central TV/
They gave a warm welcome to the Russian special ambassador to our country, who had been invited as a special guest.

The Wonsan-Kalma tourism zone, which can accommodate 20,000 people, is Kim Jong-un's long-cherished project that has taken more than a decade to complete.

Its completion had been postponed multiple times, but gained pace again a year ago.

Pundits say supplies from Russia in return for the dispatch of military troops apparently helped the North finish the construction.

Pyongyang will likely try to earn foreign currency through tourism, which is not subject to sanctions.

The Russian news agency TASS has reported that the first group of tourists will depart to North Korea's new tourism zone early next month.

With U.S. President Donald Trump saying Kim Jong-un has "tremendous condo capabilities" earlier this year, some believe this could pave the way for dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.

Prof. Park Won-gon / Ewha Womans Univ.
Pres. Trump will likely continue asserting that Pyongyang can achieve growth including the Wonsan-Kalma tourism zone if it abandons nuclear programs.

Regarding the possibility of Pyongyang attracting South Korean tourists, a Unification ministry official said North Korea knows well from the past Geumgangsan tourism project that South Korean customers are irreplaceable, yet it is hard to say for now, as Pyongyang defines the South and the North as "two hostile states."

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