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June 30 (UPI) -- North Korea has reopened the Pyongyang Golf Club, following renovations. North Korean propaganda service Naenara released a new promotional video on Tuesday, claiming the golf course, which first opened in 1994, is resuming operations following a remodeling, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
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The golf course, located in Thaesong-ri, Kangso District, Nampo City, is an 18-hole course covering 300 acres. North Korea has claimed the course is suitable for international tournaments.
North Korea has added renovations for visitors, including more lavish accommodations. Guest rooms include electronic rice cookers and refrigerators. Other facilities include a swimming pool, a table tennis court, fitness center, a restaurant and a golf boutique, according to Yonhap.
Fishing grounds and boats are also located on site, state media said.
A golf course representative told Naenara the design of the club is to "inspire golf pros, enthusiasts and regular clients" to play the game and enjoy themselves.
In 2016, two Australian golfers made headlines when they played at the North Korean Amateur Golf Championships. The golfers, Morgan Ruig and Evan Shay, said they did not pose as professional athletes in order to play in the tournament.
North Korea, currently under heavy economic sanctions, has become increasingly reliant on tourism as a source of foreign currency. Tourists to the country were banned following the coronavirus pandemic, but the promotional film could be a sign the regime could be looking to reopen.
Kim Jong Un has spent large sums of money on resorts to bolster the nation's image since fully assuming power in 2012.
Masikryong Ski Resort, completed in 2013, may have cost as much as $35 million. In April, North Korea registered the hotel as a trademark with a United Nations agency on intellectual property rights, South Korean newspaper Korea Herald reported Tuesday.
