North Korea is opening a beach resort that its leader Kim Jong Un hopes will boost tourism in the secretive communist regime, North Korea’s state media reports.
Wonsan Kalma on the east coast will open to domestic tourists on 1 July, six years after it was due to be completed. It is unclear when it will welcome foreigners. Kim grew up in luxury in Wonsan, where many of the country’s elite have private villas, and has been trying to transform the town, which once hosted a missile testing site.
State media KCNA claims the resort can accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, occupying a 4km (2.5 mile) stretch of beach, with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park – none of which can be verified, reports BBC.
Heavily sanctioned for decades for its nuclear weapons programme, North Korea is among the poorest countries in the world. It pours most of its resources into its military, monuments and landmarks – often in Pyongyang – that embellish the image and cult of the Kim family that has run the country since 1948.
Some observers say this is an easy way for Pyongyang to earn money. While foreign tourists are allowed in, tour groups largely tend to come from China and Russia, countries with whom Pyongyang long maintained friendly relations.
Tourism from overseas took a hit during the Covid pandemic, though, with the country closing its borders in early 2020. It did not scale back restrictions until the middle of 2023 and welcomed Russian visitors a year later.
It opened to more Western visitors in February, when tourists from the UK, France, Germany and Australia drove across the border from China. It abruptly halted tourism weeks later without saying why.
KCNA described the Wonsan development as a “great, auspicious event of the whole country” and called it a “prelude to the new era” in tourism. It was initially scheduled to open in October 2019, but ran into construction delays before the pandemic struck.
Kim attended a ceremony to celebrate its completion on 24 June, accompanied by his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, and wife Ri Sol Ju. It marked Ri’s first public appearance since a New Year’s Day event. Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora and embassy staff also attended.
Some tour operators expect the resort to be opened to Russian tourists, who are currently the only foreign nationals allowed into some parts of the country.
The resort’s opening comes as North Korea and Russia strengthened their partnership in the face of sanctions from the West.
North Korea has sent troops to fight for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, the two countries also reopened a direct passenger train route between their capitals after a five-year suspension because of the pandemic.