Kim Jong-un, accompanied by his daughter, opened a luxurious tourist hotel in the mountainous region of Samjiyon. North Korean state television broadcast images of his visit to the hotel and the surrounding hot springs. It appears that Kim arrived in one of the "limousines" gifted by Vladimir Putin.

In recent years, North Korea has sought to revitalize its struggling economy by expanding its tourism industry and welcoming visitors from "friendly and brotherly" countries like China and Russia. According to the North Korean leader, this investment aims to be profitable, especially amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and the travel bans preventing Russian citizens from visiting European nations.