Meanwhile, a group of 15 Russian tourists became the first foreigners to visit a new seaside resort in the country, Wonsan Kalma, which opened earlier this month, exclusively to Russians.
Photos show the holidaymakers enjoyed visiting restaurants, landmarks, and taking photos in their swimwear on the beaches. If you didn’t know they were in North Korea, you might think they were just enjoying themselves at any other travel destination—until you see the massive bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
One of the tourists who had the rare opportunity to visit Kim Jong Un’s secretive country spoke to Sky News about her experience.
“We saw nothing terrible there; there is no danger. Honestly, we really liked it,” Anastasiya Samsonova told Sky.
She explained her reasons for visiting and said that North Korea isn’t as strict as many believe.
“We were interested in seeing how people actually live,” she said. “There were many misconceptions about what you can and cannot do in North Korea, how you should behave. But in reality, we felt completely free.”
The Russians visited the new beach resort in Wonsan, a city on North Korea’s east coast. Wonsan also hosts some of the country’s missile facilities and is where Kim Jong Un spent much of his youth.
According to state media, the new seaside resort features a 4 km beachfront lined with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and a water park that can accommodate around 20,000 visitors.
This move to open North Korea to Russian tourists comes as both nations continue to strengthen their ties after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The relationship between the two nations has deepened considerably since North Korean troops, reportedly around 10,000 soldiers, provided military support in Russia‘s Kursk region.
Earlier in July, Kim Jong Un told Russia that Pyongyang was ready to “unconditionally support” all actions taken in its war on Ukraine.