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SATELLITE images give a glimpse into the construction of giant new holiday resort in North Korea which could someday be used to attract tourists from the South.

They appear to show more than 170 structures being built along a three-mile stretch of beach on the Wonsan-Kalma peninsula.

 Satellite images show the rapid construction of a massive North Korean holiday resort
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 Satellite images show the rapid construction of a massive North Korean holiday resort

The pictures reveal the construction of everything from a pyramid-shaped hotel, luxury villas and even an artificial lake, .
Kim Jong-un first revealed plans to build a "world level" tourist resort in his New Year's address to the nation.

"When the tourist area is built, it will satisfy the demand of domestic and foreign tourists," the state-run KCNA news agency said in a statement.

It said the chosen location would be the "ideal place to link various tourist destinations to the Wonsan international tourist zone".

 Satellite images - this one from April 27 -
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Satellite images - this one from April 27 -

Now high-resolution photos from Skysat show the North Korean dictator is following through on his promise.

Pictures from the ground show buildings tens of stories high, meaning the entire resort could house tens of thousands of people.

Meanwhile time-lapse imagery suggests the work began almost immediately after Kim's speech and has been carried out at a rapid pace.

It shows temporary shelters and workers' facilities springing up along the coast between January and February.

 Photos from the ground show floodlights erected along the coast so construction can continue at night
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Photos from the ground show floodlights erected along the coast so construction can continue at night
 The size of the buildings, some tens of stories high, suggest the resort could house tens of thousands of people
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The size of the buildings, some tens of stories high, suggest the resort could house tens of thousands of people
 Experts believes Kim will use the resort to attract visitors from South Korea
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Experts believes Kim will use the resort to attract visitors from South Korea

Photos even show floodlights being erected all over the beach so construction can continue at night time.

North Korean soldiers are often drafted in to work on such projects, according to NK news, which says the resort could be completed as early as March.

With tourism one being one of the few industries not targeted by US sanctions, experts believe the resort is aimed at making money through tourism.

Wonsan and Kalma airport are also important defence areas, used for large-scale artillery drills and as the launch site for dozens of missile tests in recent years.

In April last year, Kim used the same beach near Wonsan's new airport to unleash an artillery drill described by state media as the country’s largest ever.

Last year, America banned its citizens from visiting North Korea and there are no up-to-date statistics on current visitors.

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