Demolition of Mt. Kumgang Tourist Area Slowly Drags On
Work to remove the remaining traces of the Mt. Kumgang Tourist Area continues in North Korea, although at a pace that indicates it is not an overriding national priority.
In the six months since38 North’s last report on the site, several small buildings have been removed—including the South Korean-owned gas station—and work on demolishing the Kumgang Family Reunion Center is ongoing, though with little urgency.
If Kim Jong Un harbors plans to redevelop the area into a domestic tourist zone, nothing is evident at the present.
Background
The Mt. Kumgang Tourist Area was a prime example of North-South cooperation in the early 2000s, when optimism about Korean unification was high. It was built by Hyundai Asan and catered to South Korean tourists. The fatal shooting of a South Korean guest in 2008, who is said to have wandered into a military area, caused the venture to close. Politics and subsequent sanctions have prevented it from ever reopening.
The resort consisted of a golf course, several hotels, and commercial buildings. It sat vacant for years until Kim Jong Un visited in 2019 and signaled the site needed to be overhauled. Demolition work has continued on-and-off since then.
Kumgang Family Reunion Center
Most of the work currently focuses on the Kumgang Family Reunion Center. The 12-story hotel was constructed in 2008 and used to host participants of North-South family reunions in 2009, 2010, and 2014.
It remained untouched through several rounds of demolition across the tourist zone since 2019. However, in 2022, work began on removing its furnishings to prepare it for demoltion.
In October 2024, the exterior of the building and several nearby buildings appeared untouched. However, demolition work is now evident. So far, efforts have been concentrated on the roof, where some of the ornamental surroundings at the top of the building have been removed. Debris litters the site.
Ananti Golf Resort and Spa (Diamond Mountain Golf Resort and Spa)
The main club and spa building of the Ananti Golf Resort, which was one of the key attractions in the tourist zone, has been razed to its foundation.
The demolition work underway in our October 2024 analysis has been completed. The floor plan of the building and its rooms are easily visible, but are all that remains of the resort. The nearby accommodation buildings were demolished several years earlier.
Port Area
At the port, the cargo ship that was moored there last October is still in the same position, although interim medium-resolution imagery shows it has occasionally been moved in and out of port since.
The gas station, which was one of the few South Korean-built structures remaining in the port area, was been removed in early March 2025.
