North Korea is set to open a beach resort that the country’s leader Kim Jong Un hopes will stimulate tourism in the secretive communist regime, according to state media.
Wonsan Kalma on the east coast is due to open to domestic tourists on July 1, six years after the original completion deadline. It is unclear when the facility will receive foreign visitors.
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Kim grew up in luxury in Wonsan, where many of the country’s elite have private villas, and has tried to transform the city – which previously housed a missile test base.
According to state news agency KCNA, the resort will be able to receive up to 20,000 visitors on a 4 km long shoreline, with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park. None of these claims can be independently verified.
Sanctioned and isolated
North Korea, which for decades has been under strict sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program, is among the world’s poorest countries. Most of the resources go to the military, monuments and landmarks – often in Pyongyang – that glorify the Kim family that has ruled the country since 1948.
Some observers believe this is an easy way for Pyongyang to make money. Although foreign tourists are allowed, most travel groups come from China and Russia – countries with which North Korea has had good relations for a long time.
Limited opening
“I was hoping this could signal a wider reopening for international tourism, but unfortunately it doesn’t look like that for now,” says Rowan Beard from Young Pioneer Tours to the BBC.
Tourism from abroad took off sharply during the covid pandemic, when the country closed its borders in 2020. The borders were only reopened in mid-2023, and Russian tourists were allowed to return a year later.
In February this year, the country opened to several Western visitors, including tourists from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia. But already weeks later, they closed again for tourism without a task for a reason.
DUBIOUS APPEAL
Some travel agencies are skeptical about whether Wonsan will attract foreign tourists. The resort is “unlikely to become a major attraction for most Western tourists,” Beard says.
“Key sites such as Pyongyang, the DMZ zone, and other brutalist or communist landmarks will continue to be the main attractions for international visitors when tourism fully resumes.”
But Elliott Davies of Uri Tours believes North Korea has a “niche appeal” for travelers seeking unconventional destinations.
“It’s fascinating to experience something as mundane as a beach resort that is shaped within North Korea’s unique cultural context.”
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“A great and happy moment”
KCNA describes the Wonsan development as a “great and auspicious event for the whole country” and calls it a “precursor to a new era” in tourism.
The resort was originally supposed to open in October 2019, but the construction work was delayed before the pandemic hit.
Kim attended a ceremony to mark the completion on June 24, along with his daughter Kim Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju. This was Ri’s first public appearance since a New Year’s event.
Russia’s ambassador Alexander Matsegora and embassy staff were also present.
Some tour operators expect the resort to be opened to Russian tourists, who are currently the only foreigners allowed to visit certain parts of the country.
Closer ties with Russia
The opening comes at a time when North Korea and Russia have strengthened their partnership in light of Western sanctions. North Korea has sent soldiers to fight on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine.
In addition, the two countries yesterday reopened a direct passenger train route between the capitals after five years of closure due to the pandemic.
