North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju, leans back in a chair and talks to officials during a visit to a fish-processing factory in South Hwanghae Province. Analysts say he schedules his summer vacation around the industrial sites to inspect them while having a rest at the same time. Yonhap

Kim Jong-un likes to rest at a holiday cottage near economic project sites

By Yi Whan-woo


World leaders enjoy a holiday at this time of the year and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is no exception.

However, Kim wants to be more effective in ruling the country, so he moves around holiday camps so he can give so-called "field guidance," according to analysts.

"Field guidance" refers to the North Korean leader's visits and inspections of rural sites related to military, industry, tourism and other areas, at which he gives directives.

The sites for Kim's latest "field guidance" from late June included Sinuiju in North Pyongan Province, Samjiyon in Ryanggang Province, Chongjin and Orangchon in North Hamgyong Province and Wonsan in Kangwon Province.

"All those areas are where Kim's holiday cottages are located," said Kang Myung-do, a defector who was a son-in-law of late North Korean Prime Minister Kang Song-san.

"Kim did not publicly say he was on summer vacation but he rested while taking time to visit the industrial project sites. This is the way he spends his summer retreat."

An Chan-il, also a defector and head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies, echoed this view.

"The cottages are not only for rest but also for emergency meetings involving Kim's aides when there are urgent matters concerning the Korean Peninsula," he said.

He added that the young leader's summer vacations were different from those of his two predecessors _ Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

"The two late leaders mainly stayed at Mount Myohyang, which is known for its cool weather in the summer, rather than moving around the country," he said.

The analysts said Kim Jong-un's leisure activities varied from region to region.

"For instance, he would soak his body in the water and rest when he goes to Jueul hot spring in North Hamgyong Province," Kang said. "But he will go jet-skiing, yachting and other water sports when he visits Wonsan."

An agreed by pointing out that North Korea had been pushing for a massive tourism project at Wonsan on the east coast.

U.K daily newspaper Daily Mail reported that Kim has a private compound in Wonsan equipped with a $7 million yacht, water slides, theme park rides, and a football pitch.

It said this is where former NBA star Dennis Rodman was entertained in 2013 when he visited North Korea upon Kim's invitation.

"It's like going to Hawaii or Ibiza, but he's the only one that lives there," Rodman said when he described his experience at Kim's private compound. "He's got 50 to 60 people around him all the time _ just normal people, drinking cocktails and laughing the whole time."

Some diplomatic sources speculated that Kim may capitalize on his own leisure experience to better develop tour attractions, especially Wonsan.

Kim has sought to use tourism as the new cash cow amid the U.N. Security Council's economic sanctions.

The development project for Wonsan has mushroomed since it was announced in 2014.

It already has a luxury ski resort and it additional plans to add a $7.3 million department store, a $197 million city center development, and a $123 million golf course.

The tourist zone includes approximately 140 historical relics, 10 sand beaches, 680 tourist attractions, four mineral springs, several bathing resorts and natural lakes and "more than 3.3 million tons of mud with therapeutic properties for neuralgia and colitis."

The introductory brochures on Wonsan project run across 60 pages, and are available in Korean, English, Chinese and Russian.