Switzerland has reportedly blocked the sale of a ski lift to North Korea, citing UN sanctions against luxury imports.Swiss company Bartholet Maschinenbau was set to complete the deal, which would have netted a reported $7.6m USD, but the country's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) stopped it. Explaining the decision, SECO spokesperson Marie Avet cited the potential propaganda value of the ski resort, and the low likelihood that any such "luxury" facility would be used by the general public.
One of North Korea's main state projects under the rule of Kim Jong Eun, the ski resort at Masikryeong has been hit by multiple problems since its inception, including verified reports of landslides and flooding.
The latest setback is unlikely to stop the project, however. On his return from a recent trip to North Korea, the CEO of Pyeonghwa Motors Corp., Park Sang Kwon told reporters that the North Korean authorities were preparing to transfer a lift from North Korea's other ski hill at Samjiyeon in the event that the Swiss deal fell through. However, the lift at Samjiyeon is not long, and there is only one hill.