WONSAN, NORTH KOREA – Defying global sanctions and chronic poverty, Kim Jong Un has launched a lavish beach resort in his childhood playground, gambling on tourism to fund his isolated regime. The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone opens July 1st – six years late – boasting hotels, water parks, and shopping malls for 20,000 visitors.
State media shows Kim celebrating the resort’s completion with daughter Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju (her first appearance since January). The site replaces a missile testing ground in Wonsan – where the Kim dynasty’s elite hold private villas. KCNA hails it as a “new era” for tourism, though only domestic visitors are confirmed for now.
The $200 million project starkly contrasts with reality:
70% of North Koreans face food insecurity (UN)
Military spending consumes 25% of GDP
Zero independent verification** of resort’s luxury claims
While Russia’s ambassador attended the opening and direct Pyongyang-Moscow trains just resumed, Western access remains shaky:
Unlikely to draw Western tourists when Pyongyang and DMZ are main highlights.”*
Rowan Beard, Young Pioneer Tours
A niche appeal: a beach resort filtered through North Korea’s unique lens.
Elliott Davies, Uri Tours
The resort signals deepening Russia ties:
Only Russians currently allowed in some regions
Comes as North Korea sends troops to aid Russia’s Ukraine war
Direct Moscow-Pyongyang trains reopened after 5-year halt
Will tourists flock to a dictatorship’s curated paradise? For now, the beaches are open – but the country remains locked.
KCNA release of Kim touring Wonsan Kalma, June 2024