Latest news with #Wonsan
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
After years of construction, North Korea prepares to open Wonsan beach resort in Kim Jong-un's hometown
PYONGYANG, May 21 — North Korea is reportedly finalising preparations for the official opening of the Wonsan seaside resort in Kangwon Province, one of leader Kim Jong-un's flagship development projects. According to US-based outlet 38 North, recent satellite images of the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone showed beach furniture such as sunbeds placed in neat rows, indicating readiness for visitors. 'Work that had been taking place at several places around the resort appears to have finished, most visibly at the water park, where colourful furniture has been installed,' the outlet wrote, while noting that no event infrastructure such as temporary stages or propaganda boards were visible. Meanwhile, The Korea Herald reported that Kim visited the site on December 29 last year and announced plans to launch the resort in full by June, following his inspection of hotel and recreational facilities. Designated as a special tourism zone in 2014, the area was initially slated for completion by April 15, 2019, but progress was delayed due to sanctions and Covid-19-related border closures, according to the report.. North Korea is also reportedly promoting Wonsan — believed by some to be Kim's birthplace — as a key tourism hub, with historical links to Japan-Korea repatriation efforts and Kim's mother Ko Yong-hui, who was reportedly called 'the woman from Wonsan'. 'Foreign tourists are expressing surprise at how the huge coastal tourist area... is becoming more luxurious by the day,' Jang Hyun-il of the Korea International Travel Company was quoted as saying in the Cabinet newspaper, as part of ongoing efforts to attract overseas visitors. Tourism infrastructure is also reportedly being developed in Samjiyon, near Mount Paektu. 'This is a strategy to exploit loopholes in sanctions for foreign currency earning, but ultimately, the problem lies in attracting tourists,' Jung Yoo-suk, a research fellow at South Korea's Korea Institute for National Unification, told The Korea Herald.
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
North Korea prepares to open Wonsan beach resort in Kim Jong-un's hometown after years of construction
PYONGYANG, May 21 — North Korea is reportedly finalising preparations for the official opening of the Wonsan seaside resort in Kangwon Province, one of leader Kim Jong-un's flagship development projects. According to US-based outlet 38 North, recent satellite images of the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone showed beach furniture such as sunbeds placed in neat rows, indicating readiness for visitors. 'Work that had been taking place at several places around the resort appears to have finished, most visibly at the water park, where colourful furniture has been installed,' the outlet wrote, while noting that no event infrastructure such as temporary stages or propaganda boards were visible. Meanwhile, The Korea Herald reported that Kim visited the site on December 29 last year and announced plans to launch the resort in full by June, following his inspection of hotel and recreational facilities. Designated as a special tourism zone in 2014, the area was initially slated for completion by April 15, 2019, but progress was delayed due to sanctions and Covid-19-related border closures, according to the report.. North Korea is also reportedly promoting Wonsan — believed by some to be Kim's birthplace — as a key tourism hub, with historical links to Japan-Korea repatriation efforts and Kim's mother Ko Yong-hui, who was reportedly called 'the woman from Wonsan'. 'Foreign tourists are expressing surprise at how the huge coastal tourist area... is becoming more luxurious by the day,' Jang Hyun-il of the Korea International Travel Company was quoted as saying in the Cabinet newspaper, as part of ongoing efforts to attract overseas visitors. Tourism infrastructure is also reportedly being developed in Samjiyon, near Mount Paektu. 'This is a strategy to exploit loopholes in sanctions for foreign currency earning, but ultimately, the problem lies in attracting tourists,' Jung Yoo-suk, a research fellow at South Korea's Korea Institute for National Unification, told The Korea Herald.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
North Korea launches short-range ballistic missiles into sea, South Korea says
North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea Thursday in what South Korea is calling a "clear act of provocation." Lee Sung Joon, a spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the launches were possibly intended to test the performance of weapons that North Korea plans to export as it continues to send military equipment and troops to fuel Russia's warfighting against Ukraine. The agency said multiple missiles were launched from an area around North Korea's eastern port city of Wonsan from about 8:10 to 9:20 a.m. local time Thursday, with the farthest traveling about 497 miles. Lee said the tests likely involved a short-range ballistic missile system launched from vehicles — possibly modeled after Russia's Iskander missile -- and also large-caliber rocket artillery systems. The Joint Chiefs said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities detected the launch preparations in advance and tracked the missiles after they were launched. It issued a statement denouncing the launches as a "clear act of provocation" that threatens peace and stability in the region, according to the Associated Press. South Korean military officials are now analyzing whether the tests were linked to the North's weapons exports to Russia. In early March, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea just hours after South Korea and the United States kicked off their first major joint military exercise of President Donald Trump's second term. "We are aware of the DPRK's multiple ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies and partners. The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement at the time. Those launches come after South Korean and U.S. forces began their annual Freedom Shield exercise. After denying its war involvement for months, North Korea last month confirmed for the first time that it had sent combat troops to help Russia in recapturing parts of the Kursk region, which had fallen to a surprise Ukrainian incursion last year. Moscow also acknowledged the North Korean involvement, with Russian President Vladimir Putin issuing a statement thanking the North for sending troops to support his forces and promising not to forget their sacrifices. Recent South Korean intelligence assessments suggest that North Korea has sent about 15,000 soldiers to Russia, and that nearly 5,000 of them have been killed or injured while fighting against Ukrainian forces, the AP reported. Washington and Seoul have also accused North Korea of supplying Russia with various types of military equipment, including artillery systems and shells and ballistic missiles.
Al Jazeera
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
North Korea fires missiles off east coast, South Korea says
North Korea has fired a flurry of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military has said, in what Seoul called a possible test of weapons intended for export. North Korean forces launched the missiles from an area near the eastern port city of Wonsan between 8:10am (23:10 GMT on Wednesday) and 9:20am (00:20 GMT), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday. The missiles flew up to 800km (500 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan, the JSC said. The launches are the fourth round of ballistic missile tests carried out by North Korea this year, after launches in January and March. 'Our military, under the strong South Korea-US combined defense posture, is closely monitoring various North Korean activities to prevent any misjudgment (by the North),' the JSC said in a statement. Lee Sung Joon, a JSC spokesperson, said in a briefing that launches may have been to test the 'performance or flight stability' of planned missile exports. Lee did not specify which country might receive the missiles, but Pyongyang has been a key backer of Russia in its war in Ukraine. North Korea has sent missiles, artillery and some 15,000 soldiers to Russia to support its war effort, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service. About 4,700 North Korean soldiers have been killed or injured in fighting so far, according to the intelligence service. Pyongyang last month acknowledged the deployment for the first time, with state media quoting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying his forces would help 'annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces'. North Korea signed a landmark mutual defence treaty with Russia last year following a state visit to the reclusive country by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Thursday's missile launches also drew condemnation from Japan, with Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen telling reporters that Tokyo had lodged a protest with Pyongyang.
News24
08-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
North Korea fires short-range missiles, thumbing its nose at UN sanctions
North Korea fired short-range missiles. The firings are a violation of UN sanctions. North Korea has exported short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. North Korea fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Thursday, possibly to test the performance and stability of various projectiles intended for export. The missiles were launched from Wonsan, North Korea's eastern coastal city, around 08:10 (23:10 GMT on Wednesday) and flew up to 800km before splashing down in the sea, the military said in a statement. South Korea is closely communicating with the US and Japan to share information about the launch, it added. The foreign ministry said the three countries' nuclear envoys consulted by telephone and condemned it as a violation of UN sanctions. South Korea's Joint chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun declined to comment on the exact number of missiles detected or their characteristics, but told reporters the launch may have been to test the performance of missiles intended for export. A North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, Hong Min, said they were likely two types of short-range ballistic missiles that had been supplied to Russia which used them to strike Ukraine. 'There is considerable amount of field data of these two missiles collected, and it's possible additional testing was needed to improve issues reported from the battlefield such as durability and precision,' Hong said. The Japanese government also said it detected a launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea, which may have flown on an irregular trajectory. The nuclear-armed North's ballistic missile programme is banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, but in recent years Pyongyang has forged ahead in developing missiles of all ranges. In March, North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles, while blaming the South Korean and US militaries for conducting drills it calls dangerous and provocative. North Korea has exported short-range ballistic missiles, among other weapons, to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, according to US and allied intelligence agencies as well as independent researchers. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the weapons trade, although North Korean troops have been deployed to fight on the frontlines in Russia's Kursk region.
