North Korea's Leader Tours Hotels with Daughter, Lauds Economic Progress

KNCA/Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae stand at a hotel reception counter in Samjiyon City, North Korea, 20 December 2025.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening ceremonies of several hotels in a newly developed tourist zone, accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae, in an apparent effort to showcase the country’s economic progress ahead of a key ruling party congress scheduled for early next year.

According to North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, five hotels were inaugurated on Saturday and Sunday in the Samjiyon tourist zone, located in the north-eastern part of the Korean peninsula near the border with China. Kim attended the ceremonies on Saturday and was seen touring the upscale facilities alongside Ju Ae, as shown in photographs released by state media.

Some analysts have identified Kim’s teenage daughter as a potential frontrunner to succeed him as the country’s next leader.

During the visit, Kim said the hotels represented “clear proof of the rising status of our people and the development potential of our country,” KCNA reported.

The North Korean leader has attended several inauguration ceremonies over the past month, including the opening of three regional factories last week alone.

North Korea is expected to convene its first party congress in five years in early 2026, during which a new five-year development plan is anticipated to be announced. State-run media outlets, including Rodong Sinmun, have called for an all-out public mobilisation to complete major projects ahead of the gathering.

Source: Reuters



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