This archive report was first published on 3 December 2019.
On December 3, 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a flagship construction project near Mount Paektu, a dormant volcano that straddles the border with China.
The project, which includes a museum of revolutionary activities, a winter sports training complex, processing plants for blueberries and potatoes, and 10,000 apartments, is a testament to the North's resilience in the face of international sanctions.
Kim is closely associated with the scheme and has visited the area several times, including an October ride to the mountain's summit on a white horse.
According to the North's official KCNA news agency, Kim had 'worked heart and soul to turn Samjiyon County, the sacred place of the revolution, into the utopia town under socialism.'
The project's opening comes as nuclear negotiations with the US remain deadlocked since the Hanoi summit broke up in February, with Pyongyang setting a deadline for Washington to offer new concessions.
KCNA released a picture of Kim cutting a red ribbon at an inaugural ceremony, surrounded by fur-hatted officials and a statue of his father Kim Jong Il in the background.
