North Korea has halted the entry of foreign tourists to its newly opened mega beach resort, casting a shadow over what leader Kim Jong Un had touted as “one of the greatest successes this year.”
According to a notice posted Wednesday on DPR Korea Tour, a website managed by the country’s tourism authorities, the Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort is “temporarily not receiving foreign tourists.” No reason was provided, nor was a timeline given for when the suspension might be lifted.
The state-of-the-art complex, located along the eastern coast, was designed to host nearly 20,000 guests. It opened to North Korean nationals on July 1 and welcomed a small group of Russian tourists last week.
Analysts had expected Pyongyang to prioritize Chinese tourists while maintaining tight restrictions on most other foreign visitors.
The announcement came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled to the complex to meet Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui for talks last weekend.
North Korea and Russia have sharply expanded military and other cooperation in recent years, with Pyongyang reportedly supplying weapons and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
During a meeting with Choe, Lavrov pledged to promote Russian travel to the zone.
“I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here,” he said.
But experts say North Korea likely decided to halt foreign travel to the resort, including visits by Russians, due to a newspaper article by a Russian journalist who traveled with Lavrov. The report suggested that North Koreans present at the site appeared to be mobilized by authorities rather than genuine tourists.
“The North Korean government is believed to have determined that it would face some negative consequences if it opened the site to foreigners,” said Oh Gyeong-seob, an analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification.
Lee Sang-keun of Seoul’s Institute for National Security Strategy said the ban may also be linked to challenges in recruiting Russian tourists, as many would consider the destination too remote and expensive.
Experts note that North Korea is under pressure to open the Wonsan-Kalma zone – its largest tourist complex – to Russian and Chinese visitors after what was likely a massive construction and operational investment from its already tight budget.
“If foreign tourists aren’t allowed to visit, no Russian rubles, Chinese yuan or U.S. dollars will flow in. Then, North Korea can’t break even and will have to shut down the resort,” said Ahn Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul.
Kim has said the site would be “one of the greatest successes this year” and “the proud first step” in tourism development. North Korea’s state media has reported that the Wonsan-Kalma site has been crowded with domestic tourists.
North Korea has been gradually easing the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopening its borders in phases. However, it has not said whether it will fully resume international tourism.
Chinese group tours, which made up more than 90% of foreign visitors before the pandemic, remain suspended. In February, North Korea allowed a small group of international tourists to visit the northeastern city of Rason, only to halt the program in less than a month.
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