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yesterday

North Korea Inaugurates Wonsan Kalma Resort for 20,000 Visitors

Scheduled to welcome North Koreans from July 1 with Russian tour groups arriving July 7, the complex highlights Pyongyang’s push to harness tourism for revenue under tight sanctions

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, sitting centre, with his wife Ri Sol Ju, rear, and daughter tours the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone in North Korea Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae stand on the beach during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, in Wonsan, North Korea, June 24, 2025. KCNA via REUTERS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae walk inside a hotel during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, in Wonsan, in North Korea, June 24, 2025. KCNA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae watch a person sliding down a slide during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, in Wonsan, North Korea, June 24, 2025. KCNA via REUTERS

Overview

  • Kim Jong Un officially opened the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist zone on June 24 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by his wife, daughter and Russia’s ambassador.
  • The 2.5-mile development offers hotels, restaurants, water-bathing and sports facilities along the east coast and can accommodate nearly 20,000 guests.
  • State media confirmed domestic visitors will gain access beginning July 1 and that the first Russian tourists are set to depart on July 7.
  • Conceived in 2014 and stalled by international sanctions and the COVID-19 border closures, the project resumed construction in 2018 and reached completion this month.
  • North Korean officials plan to replicate the Wonsan model in other regions as part of a broader strategy to diversify income and attract foreign currency