North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with Russia's Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in Pyongyang and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation in culture and the arts, the North's state media reported Monday.

Exports of luxury goods to North Korea are banned under U.N. sanctions but such items reportedly make their way into the country via diplomatic pouches.

Kim Jong-un officially inaugurated a new tourist town on the east coast of North Korea on Tuesday. The Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone has hotels and accommodations to house nearly 20,000 guests as well as restaurants and recreational facilities, including a water park, according to the North Korean state media.