Travel Guide Mont Masik 마식령 스키장

A very exclusive place in North Korea, Mount Masik is famous for its ski resort, reserved for the wealthiest and most deserving of the regime. Built in ten months by the North Korean army at an altitude of 1360 metres at the top of Taehwa Mountain, the resort is a new showcase for the country to attract foreign tourists. This stakhanovist speed of construction has become a national pride, and the expression "Masikryong speed" has spread in everyday language.According to official figures, after the first phase of work completed in 2013, the resort with its luxury hotel, runways, swimming pools and restaurants covers nearly 2,400 m2 and would have cost $135 million. Kim Jong-un also had plans to host events at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games, but without success. Tourists travelling to the resort will certainly use the resort's cable car, which was provided by China some 30 years ago. The original model was to be imported from Switzerland, but international sanctions prohibiting the delivery of luxury sports equipment prevented the transaction from materializing. China then took advantage of the opportunity by providing a second-hand device (and excluding ski resorts from the "luxury sports" field). It is possible to rent the necessary equipment in the resort's shops or in the hotel.