North Korea has inaugurated five newly built hotels in Samjiyon, a northern city near the country's highest mountain, Mount Paektu, as its leader Kim Jong-un expressed an "unshakable" will to develop the area into an attractive mountainous tourist zone.

Axar.az informs, citing Yonhap, the North held ceremonies to officially open the new "modern" hotels in the Samjiyon Tourist Resort on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North's leader has been pushing to turn Samjiyon into a major tourist designation as the country seeks to nurture tourism in an apparent bid to earn hard currency amid international sanctions.

His daughter, Ju-ae, was seen accompanying him on a tour of the hotels, with the leader holding her hand, photos carried by state media showed.

"He expressed his unshakable will to turn Samjiyon City better into an innovative and highly civilized city representing the tourism culture of the country," the KCNA reported.

An official at South Korea's unification ministry said North Korea is expected to expand tourist zones as Kim earlier said the construction plan for massive tourist areas will be finalized at the upcoming key party congress.

He said North Korea may also consider the possibility of attracting tourists from China if it intends to develop Samjiyon as a large-scale tourist zone.