The photos appear to show more than 170 structures being built along a five kilometre stretch of beach on the Wonsan-Kalma peninsula, The Sun reports.

The pictures reveal the construction of everything from a pyramid-shaped hotel, luxury villas and even an artificial lake, according to experts at NK News.

Kim Jong-un first revealed plans to build a “world level” tourist resort in his New Year’s address to the nation.

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“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”.

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 storeys 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 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.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.