North Korean ski resort where Kim Jong Un spent millions

North Korea pursues a policy of isolation and repression against its own citizens. Insider photos of this state are a rare occurrence, and the news tells stories of people living in fear and poverty. However, even this topic cannot be presented exclusively in black and white.

For example, this winter, several media outlets published photographs of one of the two ski resorts in the country called Masikryong Ski Resort. It is worth noting that with chairlift tickets costing $40, the overwhelming majority of North Koreans cannot even dream of vacationing here. And yet, there are people here. Let's take a look at what the vacation of the lucky ones looks like at the luxurious ski resort of the DPRK.

The first of the two existing ski resorts in North Korea, the Masikryong Ski Resort, opened on December 31, 2013.

The entire complex took 10 months to build. It was constructed by soldiers of the Korean People's Army, although it is not entirely clear how the country paid for this work.

The resort includes nine different slopes, an ice rink, a ski school, and a winter park for children.

The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, commissioned the construction of the complex in 2011.

The UN Security Council prohibits North Korea from importing luxury goods, including ski equipment. The government managed to do all this by finding a loophole.

South Korea sent a group of its athletes to Masikryong for a joint training program ahead of the 2018 Olympic Games.

The resort accepts a variety of currencies — US dollars, Chinese yuan, Japanese yen, euros, and North Korean won.

The admission ticket to the complex costing $40 is roughly equivalent to a month's salary in North Korea and is unavailable to most local residents.

For a foreign tourist, a day of skiing here will cost approximately $100.

Media outlets that published these photographs in winter report that in 2017, two foreign documentary filmmakers visited the resort and noted the conspicuous emptiness of this place.

North Korean skiers ascend by cable car to the summit of the 1360-meter Taewa Peak on February 5, 2019.