North Korea isn’t typically the first place international travelers think about when considering where to go on vacation. For years, the country has been known for its isolation, heavy restrictions on foreign visitors, and limited tourism infrastructure. However, that hasn’t stopped its leader, Kim Jong Un, from taking steps to change its image. In recent years, state-run North Korean media outlets have highlighted several development projects to showcase a more modern side of the country.
In 2021, Kim announced his plan to build an additional 50,000 apartments in Pyongyang. Then, in March 2025, he unveiled a new 10,000-apartment development in the capital city, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). One of the newest developments debuted late last month: a humongous beach resort along the country’s eastern coastline. Though few details have been shared publicly, it’s beginning to attract attention worldwide. Here is a closer look at North Korea’s Wonsan-Kalma beach resort and what it means for future tourism in the region.
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North Korea Has Unveiled Its New Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort
North Korea’s most recent development is the newly opened Wonsan-Kalma beach resort, located just over two hours east of Pyongyang. This large-scale complex, designed to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, features a variety of amenities, including open-water swimming areas, aquatic attractions, and several restaurants.
The resort, considered the largest tourism complex in North Korea, held its official opening ceremony on June 24. State media released images of the event, and they’re much different from the depictions of Mangyongdae Funfair, a much older theme park known as North Korea’s failed version of Disneyland. These images show North Korean citizens floating in the ocean on inflatable tubes and racing down colorful waterslides.
According to KCNA, Wonsan-Kalma was built to help boost tourism and showcase the country’s development and modernization efforts.
“The transformation of the Wonsan Kalma area, a great auspicious event of the whole country, is a brilliant fruition of the profound thinking and inexhaustible efforts of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un… It is also a prelude to a new era of our country’s tourism that was ushered in by the great spirit of service of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” KCNA reported.
KCNA also reported that leader Kim Jong Un was pleased with the resort’s outcome, describing it as “one of the greatest successes this year” that will serve as “the proud first step” in advancing the country’s tourism sector. While domestic visitors were the first to experience the new beach resort on July 1, reports suggest that Kim has broader plans. Despite the current restrictions on international travel, the project appears to be part of a longer-term effort to attract foreign tourists in the future.
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Tourism In North Korea Has Remained Minimal And Highly Regulated
A North Korean Air Koryo aircraft landing in Vladivostok, Russia.
North Korea has always maintained tight control over tourism, only allowing guided group tours through approved agencies and requiring constant supervision by government-appointed guides. Visitors are also restricted in where they can go, what they can photograph, and who they can speak to. These tight regulations have made North Korea one of the world’s most mysterious and least-visited countries.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, North Korea has remained largely closed off to foreign tourists. According to a TikTok video by BBC News, the country reopened to Western countries for visits to the remote city of Rason in early 2025. However, it closed again just two weeks later, a China-based North Korean tour company, KTG Tours, confirmed on Facebook.
Now, Russian tourists are expected to be the first foreigners to visit the newly opened Wonsan-Kalma beach resort. In 2019, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported that 3,144 Russian citizens visited North Korea in 2019. However, according to a study conducted by The Henry Jackson Society’s Asia Studies Centre, hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists visited that same year. The fact that Russia, compared to China, has historically sent far fewer tourists to North Korea makes this a surprising decision for a country with hopes of reviving its tourism industry.
In a press release from Russia’s Primorsky region, which shares a border with the notoriously closed-off country, government officials shared that visitors are scheduled to arrive at the resort on July 7 as part of an organized eight-day tour. While the trip is a big step for North Korea in terms of reopening to foreign tourists, it raises many questions about its long-term strategy.
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