Kim Jong-un North Korea Ski Resort Damaged by Mudslides

[Mapnut]

I just read a book called "This is Paradise!" by a man who escaped from North Korea in 2000 at the age of 13, after half of his schoolmates had starved to death and his father was about to be sentenced to a labor camp. There's nothing hilarious about North Korea.

It would be nice if they could improve their economy with a destination resort, but first they should feed their people.

 

[Mapnut]

http://news.yahoo.com/n-korea-sees-bright-future-tourism-state-media-103327338.html

I don't.

 

[dmc]

We kinda talked about this when we went to Kashmir...
It's a contested area in India/Pakistan... People protest and die.... Some crazy stuff goes down...
People live on the poverty line... Or what we perceive to be the poverty line..

But we decided to go and immersed ourselves into the local scene via our ski guides.. And found most people are living their lives and really don't care about India, Pakistan and China politics... We gladly paid for what they offered up as far as food and stuff.. And left behind a pile of ski gear to the workers there..

North Korea is a different thing for sure... I've been to South Korea a few times and I really enjoyed it..

But I'd be curious to go and meet the people there but not at the expense of someone starving so I could have fun...

 

[billski]

It would be nice if they could improve their economy with a destination resort, but first they should feed their people.

Another article on on this indicated that the resort is only for use by the ruling elite. I'm not surprised.

 

[Nick]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...ish-ski-resort-for-impoverished-citizens?lite

Updated news. Pretty interesting.

This is the Masik Pass ski resort, North Korea's latest megaproject, the product of 10 months of furious labor intended to show that this country, so often derided for its poverty and isolation, is as civilized and culturally advanced as any other.The complex of ski runs, resort chalets and sleigh rides will formally open Thursday, though late last month the main hotels appeared to be little more than shells, potholes filled the access roads and foundations were still being dug for secondary buildings.
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Who will ski here? Perhaps Kim Jong Un, who reportedly enjoyed the sport as a teenager studying in Switzerland. By the estimate of the ski official, Kim Tae Yong, there are only about 5,500 North Korean skiers in this country of 24 million -- a skiing population of 0.02 percent.
Even so, as he sweeps his hand over the scene, the official displays no doubt that what his country really needs right now is a multimillion-dollar ski resort in the secluded depths of North Korea's east coast. Kim bristles at the suggestion Masik will be a playground for the nation's elite and a trickle of eccentric tourists.

Interestingly it says ski lift companies won't sell to them because of embargo or other reasons. Ki'ms response:

"We can make nuclear weapons and rockets," he said. "We can build a ski lift."

 

[mriceyman]

itll be interesting to see what they come up with. crazy bastards

 

[ss20]

"We can make nuclear weapons and rockets," he said. "We can build a ski lift."

So the lift will also be invisible?

 

[Mapnut]

This article (same article) http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-rushes-finish-lavish-ski-resort-063141050.html has some pictures, just the first 9 are of the ski area. The slopes look pretty decent! Even that straight flat one scales (on Google Earth) as 2200 feet long and 500 feet vertical, good proportions for a practice slope. One photo shows a lift under construction on it.

The construction methods, on the other hand . . . the comments cover it pretty well.

 

[billski]

The only thing more depressing than a closed ski resort is, a ski resort built by Kim Jong Un.

I'm sure his impoverished subjects wouldn't mind some of that $$. Reminds me of now Neuschwanstein was built. Kin Ludwig bankrupted his country. Then again, he was taken out into a boat and "mysteriously drown." Hey oh Great One, want to go out fishing?

 

[billski]

The comments below the story are priceless:

They will have a "festive" grand opening that will attract hundreds of thousands of North Koreans

It's to be called " Ski For Food ...or Die of Starvation"

If they can't build a rocket that doesn't explode, you can imagine the quality of the ski lift they're going to invent.

The impoverished masses will ski, and they will love it. OR ELSE.

When their[sic] done with designing, and constructing their new Ski lift I pray to god that Kim ding dong is the first person to ride it, to the moon when it explodes just like their rockets do!

""Wonder" if, in that photo, this is target range?"
I was thinking the same thing. I guess they are going to have to learn to slalom fast, or die! LOL

A ski resort now qualifies as a "megaproject" in North Korea? Well, you take what you can get, I guess.

I'd be willing to bet that most average North Koreans burned their skis long ago trying to stay warm. (that's assuming they could afford a pair to begin with)

 

[billski]

What? This thing is supposed to open on Thursday. No snow either.
Check out this construction photo.

View attachment 9272

 

[ss20]

I could read the comments for hours. I really liked this one:

This is a true sign of Kim Jong Un's love for his people and dedication to their overall health and fitness. He has already made great strides to prevent overeating. Now he allows his most loyal followers to carry exercise-bricks up the mountain. Selflessly eating all the high-fat foods himself, his sacrifice spares his subjects from any associated cardiovascular disease. Only Korean culinary mastery under the watchful gaze of the beloved god-leader can make shoe leather a delicacy and dirt a delicious source of minerals for all of his people.

 

[ScottySkis]

True story my cousin Gf came from North Korea but she was adopted and she always joke's about what she be doing if she wasn't adopted.

 

[wa-loaf]

"We can make nuclear weapons and rockets," he said. "We can build a ski lift."

More likely smuggled in through Iran.

 

[billski]

More likely smuggled in through Iran.

or even more likely

 

[Nick]

More likely smuggled in through Iran.

Contraband Ski lift?

 

[billski]

I suspect kim ding dong will have a private gondola lift.

 

[wa-loaf]

or even more likely

View attachment 9274

The first rope tow?

 

[billski]

The first rope tow?

Indeed. But in NK, these are the SKIERS.

 

[billski]

The latest news, from last Friday. Devastatingly depressing. Tragically true. The picture I posted above is not far from the truth.
:angry:


They got their lifts, but they only can go halfway up the slope.