North Korea has opened a new beach resort town that will welcome visitors from next week, CNN and news hub Travel Mole reported.
Wonsan-Kalma will initially be only for domestic tourists and is located in the home town of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Un personally cut the ribbon of a new resort on the east coast, hailed by state media as a “national treasure-level tourism city” - a seaside development set against what human rights observers describe "as stark realities of hunger and hardship" across North Korea.
The country’s official KCNA news service reported Kim opened the sprawling beachside resort, which features water parks, high-rise hotels, and accommodations for nearly 20,000 guests.
The launch was a remarkable display of extravagance in what is one of the world’s most reclusive nations.
KCNA reported “service for domestic guests will begin on July 1 in the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone" but gave no details on eligibility or transportation.
The Kalma beach resort is next to an international airport, which could indicate the project is ultimately aimed at attracting foreign currency through tourism, although international attendance at the ribbon-cutting was limited to the Russian ambassador and staff.
Last year, small groups of Russian tourists visited North Korea for three-day ski holidays at Maskiryong resort, but these, like all tourist experiences in North Korea, were reported as being heavily monitored and controlled by the government.
“I was hoping this might signal a broader reopening to international tourism, but unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case for now,” said Rowan Beard, the co-founder of Young Pioneer Tours, which has hosted group visits to North Korea.
Images: Opening ceremony. KCNA
The Kalma beach resort is next to an international airport, which could indicate the project is ultimately aimed at attracting foreign currency through tourism, although international attendance at the ribbon-cutting was limited to the Russian ambassador and staff.
Last year, small groups of Russian tourists visited North Korea for three-day ski holidays at Maskiryong resort, but these, like all tourist experiences in North Korea, were reported as being heavily monitored and controlled by the government.
“I was hoping this might signal a broader reopening to international tourism, but unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case for now,” said Rowan Beard, the co-founder of Young Pioneer Tours, which has hosted group visits to North Korea.
Images: Opening ceremony. KCNA
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