The mountains of Kangwon Province in North Korea get heavy snowfall during the winter months. All the snow may have inspired North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to build a ski resort there.
The North Korean leader himself might someday pay a visit to the groomed slopes. South Korea based reporter Jason Strothers say Kim may have got hooked on skiing when he studied abroad in Switzerland: "As one of the most elite North Koreans, he would have had the money and ability to go skiing so it is possible he had some experience while living in Europe."
So can you name the ski resort North Korea hopes to have ready by the end of the year?
It's named after a mountain pass in Kangwan Province.
Would you ski in North Korea? Could you ski in North Korea?
Geo Quiz text game players weighed in:
"Why would I go skiing in N. Korea? I don't want to support Kim Jong Un's regime." Marnen in Albany, NY
"Totally. Nothing like skiing under the watchful eye of the Supreme Leader. I hear they have top notch health care over there too." Michael in Provo, UT
"Trick question. There is no good skiing in NK. And no, I would not go, based on the real fear that if I did, I wouldn't come back." Jack in Lambs Grove, MA
"Yes I would go, but not to ski, just to see it and hang out in my cool ski gear!" Faith in Boston, MA
"Best place to ski is the Bay of Nampho. I'm from (Florida) we water ski, silly! Yes I would definitely go." Eric in Pensacola, FL
"No, no skiing in a country with horrific human rights abuses. Why reward a cruel dictatorship with my hard-earned money?" Elizabeth in Modesto, CA
As it turns out, North Korea is moving forward with its plan to build a "world class" ski resort at Masikryeong in Kangwon Province.
But the plan has hit a snag as heavy summer rains have wreaked havoc with construction sites. A Seoul-based news website, Daily NK, says "the plan to develop a world-class ski resort at Masikryeong in North Korea's east has run into major problems, with heavy rains causing landslides and the collapse of part of the building site."
South Korea based reporter Jason Strothers says North Korea's extravagant ski resort project still has a long way to go before it actually attracts any Asian skiers or international tourists.
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