On December 23, North Korean media reported that North Korean President Kim Jong-un attended hotel opening ceremonies at a tourist area of the country with his daughter Ju Ae, in a move to highlight economic developments ahead of the important party congress scheduled to take place early next year.
According to state news agency KCNA, five hotels were put into operation over the two weekends at Samjiyon tourist area, located in the northeastern part of the Korean peninsula, near the Chinese border.
Mr. Kim Jong-un attended the ceremonies on December 20 and directly visited luxury hotels with his daughter, according to photos published by state media.
KCNA quoted Mr. Kim Jong-un as saying that the new hotels are "clear evidence of the increasingly enhanced position of our people and the country's development potential".
Recently, Mr. Kim Jong-un has continuously appeared at the inauguration ceremonies of the project. In the past month alone, the North Korean leader attended many infrastructure opening events, including 3 regional factories opened in the same week.
North Korea is expected to hold a party congress in early 2026. At this event, a new development plan for the next 5 years is expected to be announced. State media outlets, including Rodong Sinmun newspaper, are calling on the whole society to strive to complete major projects before the congress takes place.
Mr. Kim Jong-un's direct inspection of tourism projects with his daughter is considered part of a communication strategy, to emphasize the stable image and orientation of North Korea's economic development in the preparation period for the upcoming important decisions.
