North Korea is remodeling hotels around Mount Paektu and Pyongyang to expand tourism.
On the 13th, the Choson Sinbo, the organ of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, reported that the "Begaebong Hotel" at the foot of Mount Paektu in Samjiyon, Ryanggang Province, had finished remodeling and resumed operations.
The Begaebong Hotel opened in October 1986 as a three-star accommodation. It later built Building No. 2 in 2004.
After State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted on-site guidance in Samjiyon in Nov. 2021, the hotel began remodeling in Apr. 2022 and was completed in December last year. It resumed operations in June.
According to the Choson Sinbo, the remodeled hotel is nine stories tall and can accommodate more than 300 people at the same time. It has first-, second-, and third-class rooms and bedrooms for people with disabilities.
Song Kyong-nam, reception team leader at the Begaebong Hotel, told the Choson Sinbo, "In summer, as a mountain tourism destination, and in winter, as a sports tourism attraction, many guests visit, so we will decorate the hotel better and constantly improve and strengthen service activities," adding, "When compatriots in Japan visit our hotel, we will serve them kindly."
In addition, the Begaebong Hotel is said to be equipped with a buffet restaurant, a bowling alley, a billiard hall, a table tennis room, a water play area, facilities for beauty and massage, an international communications room, and a press center.
Earlier, North Korea also recently completed remodeling of the "Pyongyang Hotel," located in Otan-dong, Jung District, Pyongyang. The hotel was established in 1961 and houses the Pyongyang bureau of the Choson Sinbo. It is also used as accommodation when delegations from the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan visit North Korea every year.