North Korea launches "proud first step" in tourism with Wonsan-Kalma coastal zone

North Korea is set to launch a high-profile tourist resort on its east coast next week, touting it as a major step forward in revitalising its tourism sector, despite no clear timeline for fully reopening to foreign travellers.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone will begin welcoming domestic visitors on July 2. The sprawling resort features accommodations for up to 20,000 guests, with a range of amenities including beaches for swimming, sports facilities, restaurants, and cafeterias. The zone has long been one of leader Kim Jong Un’s flagship tourism projects, designed to stimulate the country's struggling economy.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on June 24, Kim personally toured the complex and hailed the site as a major milestone. The KCNA quoted him as calling it “one of the greatest successes this year” and described the resort as “the proud first step” toward implementing North Korea’s strategy of boosting tourism.

While the Wonsan-Kalma resort is now ready for local visitors, KCNA made no mention of when it will open to foreign tourists.

Kim Jong Un has prioritised tourism development in recent years as part of a broader effort to bring in foreign currency and diversify the country’s economic activities. KCNA said additional large-scale tourist sites are planned in other regions of the country, but it remains unclear how those will proceed given ongoing travel restrictions.

North Korea has yet to fully lift the pandemic-era border closures imposed in early 2020. Although the regime began allowing Russian tourists in February 2024 — reflecting deepening military and diplomatic ties — tourism from China, which made up more than 90 per cent of the country’s pre-pandemic visitor traffic, has yet to resume.

Earlier this year, a small number of international tourists were briefly permitted into the country for the first time in five years, but in March, travel agencies reported a renewed pause in their North Korea tour operations.

By Tamilla Hasanova