is meant to inspire postcards,

not paranoia.

Troops and construction workers gathered in June

to celebrate a new, sprawling tourist destination on the coast of Wonsan,

about two and a half hours from Pyongyang.

But Wonsan is known for more than sand beaches

and sunshine.

The North Korean regime runs an air base in Wonsan

and it's from here that it planned

to launch missiles capable of striking U.S. military targets in Japan and Guam.

Live fire drills were conducted here as recently as 2017.

That didn't stop President Trump,

a former real estate developer,

from spotting the potential.

“Whenever they're exploding their cannons into the ocean, right —

I said, 'Boy, look at that view, wouldn't that make a great condo?'

And I explained, I said, 'You know, instead of doing that,

you could have the best hotels in the world right there.'”

Kim Jong-un was already on the case.

In his 2018 New Year's address,

he made those beach condos a priority.

Satellite images and other photos

reveal that the coastline has been under heavy construction

since January,

even at night.

We see how these two missile launchpads

have given way to rows upon rows of beachfront buildings.

Here on the left,

we see the beach lined with artillery

for military drill in 2017.

And on the right, is the same strip of land in 2018.

Construction of a tourism destination is in full swing.

The project has at least 150 buildings, some as high

as 12 stories.

Pyongyang said that the tourist zone

should attract at least one million visitors per year.

But in a country synonymous with prison camps, purges, and extreme poverty,

it is unclear where these tourists will come from.

Yet the hope seems to be that condos and cabanas

will get the cash flowing.

During a visit to North Korea in May,

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Americans

could help with that.

“Here is what this will look like:

This will be Americans coming in —

private sector Americans, not the U.S. taxpayer —

coming in to help build out the energy grid,

to work with them to develop infrastructure.”

And that same week photos of Kim visiting the construction site were published.

The North Korea of flashy skyscrapers and shiny holiday resorts

that Trump showed Kim in this inspirational video at the Singapore summit

might still be a way off.

“A new world can begin today,

where the doors of opportunity are ready to be opened.”

But if Kim gives up bombs for beaches,

it might be time to reach for sunblock

instead of sanctions.