North Korea has inaugurated a new luxury tourist resort on the country’s east coast, a development described as the beginning of a new era for the country’s tourism. Despite the opening, it remains unclear when foreign visitors might be allowed.
North Korea has officially opened the large-scale Wonsan-Kalma tourist resort on the country’s east coast. The project is described as a “nationally treasured tourist area“ and a symbol of a new era in the country’s tourism, reports TravelNews, via North Korean state media.
The new resort, inaugurated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 24, features hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and a water park along a four-kilometer coastline and has the capacity to accommodate nearly 20,000 visitors.
Kim Jong-un called the inauguration “one of the greatest successes this year”, and described the facility as “the proud first step“ towards developing North Korea’s tourism sector.
The resort opens for domestic tourists from July 1, but there is still no indication of when or if foreign visitors will be allowed.
North Korea has completed the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist zone, a major east coast resort project promoted for years by leader Kim Jong Un to boost tourism, state media reported https://t.co/PyA9r2nW7c pic.twitter.com/cXkYwxjcx9
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 26, 2025
Started in 2018
The project, which began in 2018 but was delayed by the pandemic and supply chain issues, is part of Kim Jong-un’s initiative to boost the country’s economy through tourism, despite extensive international sanctions.
The Wonsan-Kalma resort is located near an international airport and a newly built train station, suggesting ambitions to attract foreign tourists in the future, primarily from Russia and China.
The Russian ambassador attended the inauguration ceremony, reflecting Pyongyang’s increasingly close ties with Moscow at a time when the country remains isolated from the Western world.
Analysts suggest that the tourist resort is unlikely to be economically viable with domestic visitors alone, making the question of international access crucial.
Despite the opening, significant uncertainties remain regarding North Korea’s future tourism. The country has not yet lifted its restrictions on broader international tourism, and many regions remain inaccessible to foreign visitors.
Meanwhile, the investment in Wonsan-Kalma is seen as an attempt to generate much-needed foreign revenue and signal a certain opening towards the outside world.
