North Korea’s mega resort opens, testimony of executions and taekwondo rivalry

North Korea finally opened the long-delayed Wonsan Kalma mega resort on the east coast last week, with leader Kim Jong Un calling for a “new era” of tourism. But with the tourism zone boasting over 50 hotels and capacity for 20,000 tourists, questions remain about who will actually visit the resort as the country keeps its doors closed to most foreigners. This week, NK News Correspondent Jooheon Kim joins the podcast to discuss the resort amenities that the DPRK showed off and who was on hand for the grand opening. He also dives into a recent event spotlighting defector testimony about executions in North Korea, an inter-Korean rivalry over claims to the martial art of taekwondo and the story of one defector’s quest to make his name as a mixed martial arts fighter. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.