North Korea will open a beach resort to boost to its tourism industry. Brand new hotels will accommodate 20,000 guests. State media said the resort is the first of many to come. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. He said the new destination was "the proud first step" toward fulfilling the nation's policy of expanding its travel sector. He called it one of his country's "greatest feats" of the year.

The new resort will initially be for the domestic market. A Korean news agency reported that Russian tours would start in late July. Chinese tourists could visit later. A state official said: "We are monitoring the potential resumption of large-scale Chinese group tours…but no concrete signs have emerged yet." Chinese travellers used to make up more than 90 per cent of visitors. It is still unclear when other international guests will be able to visit.