North Korea opens beach resort: Kim Jong Un seeks to revive tourism
Kyiv • UNN
North Korea opens Wonsan Kalma beach resort to domestic tourists after a six-year delay. According to dictator Kim Jong Un's plans, the resort should stimulate tourism development and attract foreigners, although it is currently only for locals.
North Korea is opening the Wonsan Kalma beach resort, which dictator Kim Jong-un hopes will promote tourism in the totalitarian communist state. So far, only residents of the country can visit it, writes UNN with reference to the BBC.
Details
Wonsan Kalma on the east coast will open to local tourists on July 1, six years after its planned completion. When this location will be ready to receive foreigners is currently unknown.
The state media KCNA claims that the resort can accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, occupying a 4-kilometer stretch of beach with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and a water park. None of these places can be verified.
North Korea, which has been subject to strict sanctions for decades for its nuclear weapons program, is one of the poorest countries in the world. This state directs most of its resources to the army, monuments and landmarks – often in Pyongyang – that adorn the image and cult of the Kim family, which has ruled the country since 1948.
Some observers say it is an easy way for Pyongyang to make money. Although foreign tourists are allowed to enter, tourist groups mostly come from China and Russia, countries with which Pyongyang has long maintained friendly relations.
"I was hoping this might signal a wider opening to international tourism, but unfortunately that's not happening yet," Rowan Beard, co-founder of Young Pioneer Tours, told the BBC.
However, tourism from abroad suffered during the Covid pandemic, when the country closed its borders in early 2020. It did not ease restrictions until mid-2023 and accepted Russian visitors a year later.
North Korea opened to more Western visitors in February, when tourists from the UK, France, Germany and Australia crossed the border from China. Tourism suddenly stopped a few weeks later. The reasons for this are not known.
Some travel agencies are skeptical about Wonsan's appeal to foreigners. Beard says it is "unlikely to become a major attraction for most Western tourists."
"Key sites such as Pyongyang, the demilitarized zone and other brutalist or communist landmarks will remain the main attractions for foreign visitors after tourism resumes in general," he believes.
However, Elliot Davies, director of Uri Tours, says that North Korea has a "niche appeal" for travelers who are attracted to unconventional destinations.
"It's interesting to experience something as familiar as a beach resort that has taken shape in the unique cultural context of North Korea," he believes.
The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) called the Wonsan project a "great, auspicious event for the whole country" and a "prelude to a new era" in tourism.
It was originally scheduled to open in October 2019, but construction faced delays before the pandemic began.
Kim Jong-un attended the ceremony to mark its completion on June 24, accompanied by his daughter Kim Chu-ae and wife Li Sol-ju. It was Li's first public appearance since the New Year's event.
Russian tourists in North Korea
Some tour operators expect the resort to be open to Russian tourists, who are currently the only foreign nationals allowed to enter some parts of the country.
The opening of the resort comes amid a strengthening partnership between North Korea and Russia in the face of Western sanctions. In addition, North Korea sent troops to participate in the fighting on the side of Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.
On Thursday, the two countries also resumed direct passenger rail service between their capitals after a five-year hiatus due to the pandemic.