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Shocking new photos reveal a luxury North Korean spa resort built on the orders of tyrant Kim Jong-un.

The dictator has snubbed global sanctions, imposed on the hermit kingdom due to its nuclear weapons and missile programme.

Pictures show locals relaxing in dozens of thermal pools, with the facility also boasting skiing and hotel facilities, bars, a video arcade and a gym.

However, a North Korea expert believes the only Koreans to benefit will be the elites.

Markus Bell, North Korea analyst and research fellow at Australia’s La Trobe University, said the opening represented “another PR success for Kim Jong-un”.

(Image: Credit: Pen News)

“Yangdok is another in a series of prestige projects likely designed to cater to the upper crust of the country’s political elite,” he said.

“It will also be a draw card for Chinese tourists looking for some adventure-cum-luxury tourism.

“Looking at the photos, it’s striking to see how similar the scenes look to many South Korean spa resorts.

“The aesthetics appear to be a blend of faux East Asian and big-scale warehoused fun.

(Image: Credit: Pen News) (Image: Credit: Pen News)

“When Kim called it a place for people to enjoy ‘high civilisation under socialism’, perhaps this is what he meant?”

North Korea has recently embarked on a number of projects showcasing luxury living.

Last year, it opened the Daesong Department Store in Pyongyang, which appeared to be flouting a UN embargo on luxury goods by selling brands such as Chanel, Rolex, Nike and Fila.

The secretive state is also building a beach resort, often described as a “North Korean Benidorm”, in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, which is due to open later this year.

It’s all come at a cost, however.

(Image: Credit: Pen News)

Daily NK, an online newspaper based in neighbouring South Korea, said the Wonsan and Yangdok projects had caused rising discontent in the military, who were being roped into construction.

Dr Bell said the Yangdok resort showed how the leader was trying to evoke his grandad Kim Il-sung, who ruled North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

He said: “The young leader models himself off his grandfather, in that he’s comfortable in the public eye and seems to recognise the advantages of winning hearts and minds, so to speak.

“Of course, Kim the younger has shown himself at ease on the international stage as well.

“He used Donald Trump’s eagerness for photo opportunities as a platform to present himself as the face of a new North Korea – nuclear-armed and able to provide any and all things for its citizens.”