North Korea has opened a grand seaside resort called Wonsan-Kalma. State media described it as a “national treasure-level tourism city”. Kim Jong Un inaugurated it himself.
The resort includes waterparks and high-rise hotels. It can host nearly 20,000 guests, CNN reported. It is located on North Korea’s eastern coast and is connected by a newly-opened train station and international airport. The location hints at North Korea’s plans to attract foreign visitors, especially Russians.
Only Russian officials attended the opening, showing North Korea’s stronger ties with Moscow and growing isolation from the West. While the country faces severe hunger and hardship, this lavish project is being promoted as proof of Kim’s care for his people, according to CNN.
Kim Jong Un has said North Korea will expand tourism zones soon and build big tourist and cultural sites across the country.
Kim visited the Wonsan-Kalma resort at least seven times. The Supremo guided the work himself and aiming for top global standards.
In December 2024, after nearly five years of COVID-related border closure, North Korea reopened the northern city of Samjiyon for tourists. Tour companies in China confirmed the news.
The 2020 shutdown led to major food shortages due to halted imports and global sanctions. Travel firms expect other cities like Pyongyang to reopen soon as restrictions ease.
Still, foreign tourist visits to North Korea remain strictly controlled. Past Russian tourists had to follow many rules, including limited photography and attending organised performances.
Experts believe the resort may soon welcome Russian visitors. It will support Kim’s image of focusing on tourism while continuing his defence policies, according to CNN.
The new Wonsan-Kalma resort is expected to serve elite officials from Pyongyang, not the general public. Experts say the project shows Kim Jong Un’s aim to boost the economy through tourism.
North Korea’s tourism plans
In the 1990s, North Korea opened Mount Kumgang for South Korean visitors, seen as a rare step toward peace. Around two million tourists visited, bringing in money.
But, the tours stopped after a South Korean visitor had been shot in 2008 for entering a restricted area. In 2022, many buildings in the region were demolished after Kim had called them outdated.
“The initial target for this resort is going to be the privileged domestic elite of Pyongyang, such as party officials and other high-ranking figures,” CNN quoted professor Lim Eul-chul as saying.
“The ceremony of the Wonsan-Kalma resort reflects Kim Jong Un’s vision of ‘socialist civilisation’ and is part of his strategic effort to seek economic breakthroughs through the tourism industry,” Lim added.
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