BEIJING (Kyodo) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to promote his nation's travel industry, state-run media said Tuesday, despite ongoing restrictions on the entry of most foreign tourists that have been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kim on Sunday inspected newly completed hotels and other service facilities in a coastal tourist city in the eastern province of Kangwon. Operations there are slated to begin in June 2025, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

KCNA quoted Kim, who was accompanied by his daughter, as saying the area is "spectacular" and the facilities "have been built at a high level so that they can be utilized for successfully hosting important external, political and cultural events of the state."

Pyongyang plans to accelerate the development of tourism-focused destinations, with some analysts suggesting the country aims to acquire foreign currency by attracting international travelers to support an economy believed to have suffered a severe downturn during the pandemic.

North Korea began accepting tourists from Russia in early 2024 after relaxing its COVID-19 prevention measures, but the resumption of travel from China, which was frequent before the pandemic, has not yet resumed. China has long been considered a key source of foreign currency for North Korea.