Kim Jong-un Keen to Develop Chinese Border Region

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered officials to conduct feasibility studies to develop Kanggye and Manpo cities in the remote province of Chagang bordering China, the official [North] Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday.

The move is apparently aimed at attracting Chinese tourists.

Photos released by the KCNA show Kim flanked by senior officials while visiting construction sites in Kanggye and Manpo. In one he is standing in front of a drawing of high-rise buildings and bridges that seems to be a blueprint of the development project, but KCNA gave no details.

Kim also tried to develop the border city of Sinuiju last November, including building an airport and a large hotel, but construction is dragging on due to a shortage of materials.

Manpo lies just across the border from China's Jilin Province and is home to a cluster of arms factories, so it has been off-limits to civilians. "That shows just how urgent the situation is," a government official here said.