North Korea’s Kim Jong Un tours hotels with daughter, lauds economic progress

SEOUL, Dec 23 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening ceremonies of hotels in a tourist zone of the country with his daughter Ju Ae, as he sought to highlight the country’s economic progress before a key party congress due to take place early next year.

Five hotels opened on Saturday and Sunday in North Korea’s Samjiyon tourist zone, in the northeast part of the Korean peninsula near the border with China, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Kim, who attended the ceremonies on Saturday, toured the upmarket hotels with Ju Ae, state media photographs showed.

Some analysts view Kim’s teenage daughter as the frontrunner to become the country’s next leader.

Kim said the hotels were “clear proof of the rising status of our people and the development potential of our country,” according to KCNA.

The North Korean leader has attended multiple opening ceremonies of facilities in the past month, including three regional factory openings last week alone.

North Korea is expected to hold its first party congress in five years in early 2026, where a new development plan for the next five years is expected to be unveiled. State media such as Rodong Sinmun, have been urging an all-out public effort to complete major projects ahead of the gathering.

(Reporting by Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)