North Korea has officially launched the sprawling Wonsan–Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, a flagship development on its eastern shoreline. The new complex—featuring hotels, resorts, water slides, swimming pools, restaurants, and shopping facilities—stretches along roughly four kilometers of beach. Capable of accommodating nearly 20,000 visitors, it underscores leader Kim Jong Un’s intensified campaign to develop tourism as a critical source of income for the country.
State media celebrated the resort’s completion with fanfare. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) broadcast images of North Koreans in swimsuits, children playing on water slides, and families relaxing under parasols—portraying a vibrant tourism culture blossoming under Kim’s rule. A televised opening ceremony, held on June 24, featured Kim Jong Un alongside his wife, Ri Sol‑ju, and their teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae—marking one of the rare public family appearances in recent years. Their presence, along with the attendance of Russia’s ambassador, Alexander Matsegora, reinforced the project’s symbolic weight as a domestic achievement and international outreach effort.
Kim, describing the resort as “one of the greatest successes this year,” hailed the opening as a milestone toward establishing North Korea as a destination for both domestic and international tourism. This marks a significant pivot from the border closures imposed during the COVID‑19 pandemic in 2020, as Pyongyang gradually reopens with tightly controlled measures.
While foreign tourism remains severely restricted, a modest opening is anticipated: a group of Russian tourists is set to visit the resort and Pyongyang around July 7, signaling close economic and diplomatic ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. Chinese group tours—once the backbone of North Korean tourism—have yet to resume, and Western visitors remain barred or extremely limited. Some observers estimate roughly 5,000 Westerners and as many as 350,000 Chinese visited annually before the pandemic. Still, prospects for mass tourism are dim due to the country’s limited hospitality infrastructure, opaque political climate, and travel restrictions .
South Korea’s Unification Ministry projects that international visitor numbers will remain low, perhaps around 170 per day, due to the lack of direct transport links and ongoing restrictions. Notably, the resort was developed without major foreign investment—a consequence of stringent international sanctions—but its creation signals Pyongyang’s determination to diversify revenue sources despite economic isolation .
Wonsan itself holds symbolic significance. The port-city in Kangwon Province, where Kim spent part of his youth, has been earmarked since at least 2013 for transformation into a major tourist hub, including the development of Kalma Airport, tram lines, and supporting infrastructure. The Wonsan–Kalma zone was initially scheduled to open in 2019 but was delayed by pandemic-related shutdowns and supply chain interruptions. After six years of development, the resort finally welcomed domestic tourists on July 1.
Political analysts remain cautious, questioning whether the resort will generate meaningful foreign revenue or simply serve as a domestic showcase. Some liken it to past prestige projects—like the Ryugyong Hotel—that failed to deliver anticipated economic benefits. Nevertheless, Kim and state media frame Wonsan–Kalma as a curtain‑raiser for a “new era” of tourism development, with more large-scale projects reportedly in the pipeline .
In sum, North Korea’s grand unveiling of the Wonsan–Kalma resort marks a deliberate bid to signal economic ambition amid global isolation. With domestic access granted from July 1 and limited openings for Russian visitors, the resort represents both a domestic morale booster and a strategic avenue for non-sanctioned income. Yet its ultimate success hinges on whether Pyongyang loosens travel restrictions more broadly and overcomes inherent structural challenges in tourism. For now, the freshly constructed beachfront complex stands as a symbol of the regime’s aspirations, but whether it becomes a genuine catalyst for economic change remains to be seen.
