In brief
North Korea has barred foreign tourists from its newly launched seaside resort, the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, only weeks after its grand opening, signaling a shift in the country’s tourism policies.
The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, a flagship project aimed at boosting North Korea's tourism sector, opened on July 1st. However, North Korean authorities announced this week that international visitors would be "temporarily" prohibited from accessing the resort, reversing earlier promotional efforts that targeted both local and foreign tourists. Just days before the ban, the first Russian tourists arrived, coinciding with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to meet with Kim Jong Un, where he praised the site as a potential draw for visitors.In anticipation of increased tourism, direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang are set to be launched at the end of the month. Prior to the new restrictions, Russian tour guides had planned multiple trips to the resort in the forthcoming months. The Wonsan area, located on North Korea's eastern coast, historically has housed several missile facilities and is linked to Kim Jong Un's upbringing amidst luxurious villas owned by the elite class.The location boasts a 4-kilometer beachfront equipped with hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, and a water park, with the capacity to accommodate around 20,000 tourists, as per state reports. However, the resort's development has been shadowed by allegations from human rights groups regarding the exploitation of workers who reportedly endured long hours in difficult conditions with insufficient pay during the construction process, which began in 2018.The completion of the resort was celebrated in June, attended by Russian diplomats alongside Kim and his family. After a hiatus due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, North Korea had cautiously reopened its borders to tourists, initially welcoming visitors from Russia and subsequently from other Western countries like Australia and nations in Europe. However, within weeks, tourism from these regions abruptly ceased without official clarification.As the global tourism landscape continues to evolve, North Korea's decision to close the Wonsan resort to foreign visitors raises questions about its intents and the ongoing challenges within its tourism sector.
