North Korea Open Beach are moving forward as the country opens the long-delayed Wonsan Kalma resort. Leader Kim Jong Un hopes this will bring life to the country’s tightly controlled tourism industry. State media say that the resort will start letting in tourists from within the country on July 1. There is no set date for when tourists from other countries will be able to visit.
The Wonsan Kalma beach resort is on the eastern coast of the country. It is 4 kilometres long and has hotels, malls, restaurants, and even a water park, according to reports. The project was supposed to open in 2019, but there were delays in construction and then more delays because of the pandemic. Kim Jong Un has long thought of Wonsan as a luxury vacation spot. He spent a lot of his childhood there. It used to be a place to test missiles, but now it’s being turned into a possible tourist destination.
Though North Korea Open Beach efforts appear promising, the country’s broader economic situation poses major challenges. Sanctioned for decades over its nuclear weapons program, North Korea remains one of the poorest nations globally. The majority of state resources are still funneled into its military and state propaganda landmarks, primarily in Pyongyang.
Foreign tourists, mostly from China and Russia, have been allowed in under strict conditions in the past, but Western travellers are still limited. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down all borders in 2020. A short reopening in early 2024 let tourists from the UK, Germany, and France in, but the doors closed again weeks later for no reason.
Mixed Outlook from Tour Operators
Tour companies don’t all agree on how interesting the North Korea Open Beach project is. Rowan Beard, who works for Young Pioneer Tours, said he wasn’t sure if the resort would be able to attract Western tourists. He thinks that places like Pyongyang, the DMZ, and famous communist buildings will continue to be popular with tourists.
Elliott Davies, director of Uri Tours, on the other hand, sees niche potential. He said, “It’s interesting to see a familiar place like a beach resort in North Korea’s controlled, highly curated environment.”
Political Significance Behind the Beach Opening
On June 24, Kim Jong Un, his wife Ri Sol Ju, and their daughter Kim Ju Ae were there for the official opening of the resort. Ri had not been seen in public for months. The event also had Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora there, which showed how close Pyongyang and Moscow are becoming.
This opening comes after reports that North Korea and Russia have started running a direct passenger train route between their capitals again. Russian tourists can already go to some parts of North Korea, so Wonsan may soon be on their list of places to visit.
