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 and a symbol of the Korean nation, state media reported.
Located close to the Chinese border, the town of Samjiyon has been the focus of a massive rebuilding effort by the North, with huge resources poured into the project.
The development includes a museum of revolutionary activities, a winter sports training complex, processing plants for blueberries and potatoes, and 10,000 apartments.
Kim is closely associated with the scheme and has visited the area several times, including a notable ride on a white horse to the mountain's summit in October.
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 is seen as a demonstration of resilience by the North, which is subject to multiple sets of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
As nuclear negotiations with the US remain deadlocked since the Hanoi summit broke up in February, Pyongyang has set Washington an end-of-year deadline to offer new concessions.
Kim attended the opening ceremony, cutting a red ribbon surrounded by officials, with a statue of his father Kim Jong Il in the background.
