North Korea Opens Wonsan Kalma Coastal Resort After 7 Years of Construction
North Korea has finally opened its Wonsan Kalma coastal resort zone after almost seven years of construction, as per reports from state media on Thursday. The resort, located on the Kalma Peninsula, is packed with facilities like 54 hotels, a cinema, water parks, beer pubs, restaurants, and more.
Kim Jong Un Attends Opening With Family
In a rare moment away from missile launches, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen promoting the new resort alongside his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae. He was dressed in a dark suit and tie instead of his usual Mao-style outfit and was seen enjoying the celebrations from a front-row seat.
Kim called the resort one of the country’s “greatest achievements” of the year.
What’s Inside the Resort
The Wonsan Kalma resort stretches across three miles (5 kilometers) of scenic coastline. According to a map near the northern entrance, the resort includes:
- 54 hotels
- Indoor and outdoor water parks
- Mini-golf course
- Movie theater
- Shopping malls
- Dozens of restaurants
- Five beer pubs
- Two video game arcades
Construction of the resort began in early 2018, but it was delayed due to multiple setbacks, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opening Dates and Tourism Plans
- The resort will open to North Korean domestic tourists on 1st July.
- Foreign tourists are still mostly not allowed to enter North Korea due to COVID-era travel restrictions.
However, a Russian travel agency named Vostok Intur has announced a special tour for foreign visitors. As per the resort’s official website:
- The tour starts on July 7
- Includes a flight from Pyongyang to Wonsan on July 8
- Tourists will spend four nights at the coastal resort
- Followed by one night at Masikryong ski resort
- The trip will end with a sightseeing day in Pyongyang
Tourism in North Korea Today
Tourism is one of the few income sources left for North Korea that is not blocked by United Nations sanctions. Still, because of ongoing restrictions related to its nuclear and weapons programs, the country struggled to find international partners for the Wonsan project.
North Korea had closed its borders in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. But since 2023, it has been slowly easing travel rules. Currently, only selected Russian tourist groups are allowed, and even then, most areas including Pyongyang remain off-limits to the general public.
In April, however, North Korea did host an international marathon event, marking a small return to foreign engagement.