Watch: Kim Jong Un’s softer side on display as he tours hot springs and luxury resorts

Kim Jong Un appeared relaxed as he toured a newly renovated hot springs resort in northern North Korea as the dictator, like Supreme Leader, offered a rare glimpse of a leisurely side of the military strong country.

State media footage and promotional video showed Kim smiling as he visited the Onpo Workers' Recreation Centre, now North Korea’s largest hot springs resort and recently designated a natural monument. Wrapped in a heavy coat, Kim walked through spa facilities, stopping to greet bathers enjoying the pools in their swimsuits. At one point, he sat on the edge of a hot tub and dipped his hand into the water, though he did not join the bath himself.

The visit marked a turnaround from Kim’s previous inspection of the site in 2018, when he criticised the centre as “uncultured and unsanitary”. He ordered a full renovation at the time, a project that took several years to complete. The updated complex now features multiple spa rooms, upgraded facilities and polished interiors aimed at showcasing modern leisure standards.

The Onpo visit follows another high-profile tour last month, when Kim and his daughter opened a lavish new mountain resort in Samjiyon, a city in the country’s far north near Mount Paektu, a site of deep symbolic value in North Korean propaganda.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, the Samjiyon resort includes hotels, “cosy” leisure spaces, barbecue restaurants and both indoor and outdoor hot tubs. Kim toured hotel bedrooms, leisure areas and catering facilities, and was shown testing the firmness of beds.

KCNA quoted Kim as praising the resort as “clear proof of the ever-growing ideal of our people and our state's potential for development”. He described Samjiyon as an “innovative and highly civilized city representing the tourism culture of the country”.

Images released by state media showed Kim accompanied by his daughter, believed by analysts to be Ju-ae and seen as his likely successor.

State media framed the new developments as evidence that North Koreans are the “most dignified” people who have “nothing to envy in the world”. However, analysts note that the facilities are unlikely to be accessible to most citizens, who are estimated to earn as little as $3 a month in state-run factories.

Experts say the resorts are primarily aimed at foreign visitors. “The main target demographic is foreigners,” Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, told AFP. He added that visits could also be used as rewards for high-performing worker groups.

Lim Eul-Chul of Kyungnam University said the five new hotels could support “large-scale group tourism” through border regions with China. North Korea has already allowed Russian tourists to return, while Western tour operators briefly resumed trips earlier this year.

The resort tours come as Kim continues inspections of new factories ahead of a ruling Workers’ Party congress expected in early 2026, where the country’s next five-year economic plan will be set.