Tourists allowed at North Korea's largest beach resort?
The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area, a lavish seaside resort located on North Korea's eastern coast, officially opened its doors to domestic visitors on July 1, 2025. The resort, which boasts a 2.5-mile-long beach, water park amusements, and accommodations for nearly 20,000 people, has been eagerly awaited by locals across the country.
While the resort is currently open only to North Koreans, there is a possibility that Russians may visit the Wonsan-Kalma resort in the near future. North Korea is expecting to receive Russian visitors starting next week, indicating some limited international access is planned, at least for Russian tourists. However, broader international tourism remains restricted, with many countries maintaining travel bans, including the United States, which has extended its travel ban to North Korea through 2025, citing safety concerns and the authoritarian regime's risks.
Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-resident fellow with the 38 North program at the Stimson Center, commented on the Wonsan-Kalma resort, stating that while the resort's opening is a significant development, the intended audience for the resort remains unclear.
The resort's opening was covered by the official KCNA news service, and North Korean President Kim Jong Un attended the opening of the "national treasure-level tourism city." The resort features waterparks, high-rise hotels, and various recreational activities, making it a promising destination for tourists.
Strict limitations on domestic travel remain in place in North Korea, but service for domestic guests has begun at the Wonsan-Kalma resort. The resort is located near an international airport, potentially indicating an aim to attract foreign tourists in the future.
Sally Shakkour, the leader of the English news team and a news and breaking news writer with over 6-year experience in publishing content and digital journalism, has reported on the resort's opening. Sally is knowledgeable in Google's SEO and excels in writing original node stories and monitoring Al Bawaba's social media accounts.
In summary, the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area is now open for domestic visitors and will soon welcome Russian tourists, but it is not broadly open to international tourists beyond this group at this time. The intended audience for the resort remains unclear, but its location near an international airport suggests a potential aim to attract foreign tourists in the future.
- The Russian government may potentially send visitors to the Wonsan-Kalma resort, marking a small step towards international access.
- North Korea's President Kim Jong Un has declared the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area a "national treasure-level tourism city," with features such as waterparks, high-rise hotels, and recreational activities.
- Although domestic travel restrictions persist in North Korea, service for domestic guests has started at the Wonsan-Kalma resort, and its proximity to an international airport implies a prospective ambition to attract foreign tourists in the future.
- Journalist Sally Shakkour, an experienced content publisher and digital journalist, has reported on the opening of the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area, highlighting its current limitations to domestic and Russian visitors, while foreign tourism beyond this group remains restricted.
