The Reading / Listening - Beach Resorts - Level 5

North Korea will open a beach resort to boost to its tourism industry. The tourist zone is on the east coast. Gleaming new hotels can accommodate 20,000 guests. State media said the flagship resort is the first of many planned developments. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cut the ribbon at a lavish opening ceremony. He said the new destination was "the proud first step" toward fulfilling the nation's policy of expanding its travel sector. He added that the resort would help to establish the tourist culture of North Korea. He called it one of his country's "greatest feats" of the year.

This new destination will initially cater to the domestic market. Officials say it will welcome foreign visitors. A Korean news agency reported that Russian tours would start in late July. An official stated that there could be more Chinese tourists. He said: "We are monitoring the potential resumption of large-scale Chinese group tours…but no concrete signs have emerged yet." Chinese travellers made up more than 90 per cent of visitors before the coronavirus pandemic. It is still unclear when other international guests will be able to visit.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Beach Resorts - Level 4 or  Beach Resorts - Level 6

Sources
  • https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-tourism-coast-kim-jong-un-c26f24ea0f149b7153ddcf98397c07b5
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/26/north-korea-beach-resort-wonsan-kalma
  • https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10518549


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. boost to its
  2. The tourist zone is
  3. gleaming
  4. accommodate
  5. the first of
  6. Kim Jong Un cut
  7. a lavish opening
  8. one of his country's greatest
  1. new hotels
  2. the ribbon
  3. many
  4. on the east coast
  5. ceremony
  6. feats
  7. tourism industry
  8. 20,000 guests

Paragraph 2

  1. initially cater
  2. it will welcome foreign
  3. tours would start
  4. We are monitoring the
  5. large-
  6. no concrete signs
  7. Chinese travellers made
  8. It is still unclear
  1. up more than 90 per cent
  2. in late July
  3. scale Chinese group tours
  4. when
  5. to the domestic market
  6. potential resumption
  7. visitors
  8. have emerged yet

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

North Korea will open a beach (1) ________________________________________________ to its tourism industry. The tourist (2) ________________________________________________ the east coast. Gleaming new hotels can accommodate 20,000 guests. State media said (3) ________________________________________________ is the first of many planned developments. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un cut the ribbon at (4) ________________________________________________ ceremony. He said the new destination was "the proud first step" toward fulfilling the nation's policy of expanding (5) ________________________________________________. He added that the resort would help to establish the tourist culture of North Korea. He called it one of his country's (6) _______________________________________________ the year.

This new destination will (7) ________________________________________________ the domestic market. Officials say it will welcome foreign visitors. A Korean (8) ________________________________________________ that Russian tours would start in late July. An (9) ________________________________________________ there could be more Chinese tourists. He said: "We are monitoring the potential resumption (10) ________________________________________________ Chinese group tours...but no (11) ________________________________________________ emerged yet." Chinese travellers made up more than 90 per cent of visitors before the coronavirus pandemic. It is (12) ________________________________________________ other international guests will be able to visit.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

NorthKoreawillopenabeachresorttoboosttoitstourismindustry.Thet
ouristzoneisontheeastcoast.Gleamingnewhotelscanaccommodate2
0,000guests.Statemediasaidtheflagshipresortisthefirstofmanyplan
neddevelopments.NorthKoreanleaderKimJongUncuttheribbonatala
vishopeningceremony.Hesaidthenewdestinationwas"theproudfirsts
tep"towardfulfillingthenation'spolicyofexpandingitstravelsector.He
addedthattheresortwouldhelptoestablishthetouristcultureofNorthK
orea.Hecalleditoneofhiscountry's"greatestfeats"oftheyear.Thisnew
destinationwillinitiallycatertothedomesticmarket.Officialssayitwillw
elcomeforeignvisitors.AKoreannewsagencyreportedthatRussiantou
rswouldstartinlateJuly.AnofficialstatedthattherecouldbemoreChine
setourists.Hesaid:"Wearemonitoringthepotentialresumptionoflarge
-scaleChinesegrouptours...butnoconcretesignshaveemergedyet."C
hinesetravellersmadeupmorethan90percentofvisitorsbeforethecor
onaviruspandemic.Itisstillunclearwhenotherinternationalguestswill
beabletovisit.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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