Days after Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov vowed to help boost tourism in North Korea, authorities abruptly halted foreign access to the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area – offering no explanation for the unexpected move, according to Bloomberg.
North Korea’s official tourism site, DPR Korea Tour, announced on Wednesday that foreign visitors are “temporarily not accepted” in the zone, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
After years in the making, North Korea’s “Benidorm-style” beach resort finally opened on June 24 – well past its original launch date of April 15, 2019, timed to honour national founder Kim Il Sung’s birthday.
State media touted it as a “national treasure-level tourism city”
The project, centred on a long white-sand beach in Kangwon province, had been delayed by sweeping international sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resort has drawn visitors from across the country, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
State media touted it as a “national treasure-level tourism city” – a glittering seaside development that contrasts sharply with the widespread hunger and hardship reported by human rights observers across North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the occasion by celebrating the resort’s completion, hailing it as one of the regime’s “greatest successes this year”.
The Wonsan-Kalma resort recently began attracting Russian tourists, with a travel agency reportedly scheduling two more tours for August, according to the BBC.
Mr Kim’s choice to host Mr Lavrov there on July 12 – instead of in Pyongyang – was widely seen as a strategic showcase. The North Korean leader told Mr Lavrov that he was the resort’s “first foreign guest” since the opening of the tourism zone.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova lavished praise on the Wonsan-Kalma resort during a Sputnik Radio interview this week, calling it a “fantastic holiday destination” with “perfectly equipped facilities”.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae watch a person sliding down a slide at the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, North Korea. Photo: Reuters
The Wonsan-Kalma resort stretches across 4km of coastline and can host up to 20,000 visitors, according to North Korean state media.
It’s reportedly outfitted with amenities aimed at rivalling global beach destinations – a goal underscored in 2017 when Mr Kim dispatched a delegation to Spain’s Benidorm resort to study its theme parks, high-rise hotels, and marina facilities.
A North Korean tourism brochure cited by the BBC lists 43 hotels lining the beachfront, alongside guesthouses on a man-made lake and campgrounds catering to different traveller types.
When the tourism resort area was opened, Mr Kim was seen relaxing poolside with his daughter Kim Ju Ae with a pack of cigarettes, cold drink, and a towel.
Tourism is a crucial source of income for the sanctions-stricken Kim regime, but since loosening its pandemic border controls, North Korea has admitted only a limited number of Russian visitors.