North Korean Missile Site Will Also Function As Luxury Resort

A North Korea missile testing site will also be used as a beach resort, according to Reuters. North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un wants to transform the city of Wonsan from a missile-testing site into a profitable luxury spot for upper-class foreign tourists to potentially reel in billions of dollars for the country.

The seaside city, which houses 360,000 people, has helmed redevelopment plans since 2014. Roughly 40 missiles, however, have been launched from Wonsan to date. Individuals aware of the project, titled "Wonsan–Mount Kumgang International Tourist Zone," have said this will serve as a method for survival.

"It may sound crazy to outsiders to fire missiles from a place he wants to develop economically, but that’s how Kim Jong-Un runs his country," Lim Eul-chul, an expert on North Korean's economy at Kyungnam University, told Reuters Tuesday.

North Koreans that have visited Wonsan are said to have enjoyed the bars and barbecues along the city's beaches. Many visitors also partake in fishing during their stay. Wonsan houses several beaches, natural baths and a variety of historical relics.

There are several investment opportunities available for those interested in helping to fund the project. Kim has invited investors to aid in funding the construction of the large-scale resort. Such investments include a $7.3 million department store, a $123 million golf course and $197 million towards city center development. An additional $62.5 million fee will be required to lease the land for the golf course.

Developing a five-star hotel is also a vital component to the resort's end product. The Wonsan Hotel, one of many hotels coming to the resort, would be built to accommodate 1,000 guests. The estimated cost for the luxury hotel has not been confirmed at this time. Several hotels are slated to be renovated in the beachside town, including the Haean Hotel, the Tongmyong Hotel and the Songdowon Hotel, among others.

Eating options will also increase during the resort's construction.

The resort is said to be an attraction site for international tourists. Wonsan International Airport, which was completed in September 2015, does not have international flights accessible at this time. American tourists, however, will be prohibited from venturing down to the beach city because President Donald Trump's administration placed a travel ban on North Korea in September.

The U.S. State Department has warned Americans against traveling to North Korea for several years. The 2016 incident involving Otto Warmbier, a college student who was punished for tearing down a political poster, only made matters worse.

"North Korean authorities have imposed unduly harsh sentences for actions that would not be considered crimes in the United States and have threatened U.S. citizen detainees with being treated in accordance with 'wartime law of the DPRK,'" the U.S. Passports & International Travel website reads. "Since the United States does not maintain diplomatic or consular relations with North Korea, the U.S. government has no means to provide normal consular services to U.S. citizens in North Korea."