North Korea Halts Foreign Tourism at Wonsan-Kalma Resort

Seoul, Jul 18 (AP) North Korea has halted foreign tourist entry to the newly unveiled Wonsan-Kalma beach resort, a development that affects a major project praised by leader Kim Jong Un as a significant achievement of the year.

The DPR Korea Tour website, managed by the North's tourism authorities, issued a notice on Wednesday stating that the eastern coastal tourist complex is "temporarily not receiving foreign tourists." The announcement did not specify the reasons for the halt or its expected duration.

The complex can host nearly 20,000 guests, according to North Korean statements. It opened to local tourists on July 1 and subsequently welcomed a small group of Russian visitors. Analysts anticipated that North Korea would permit Chinese tourists while restricting access for other international visitors.

Ban follows visit by Russia's top diplomat The entry suspension follows a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who traveled to the complex for talks with Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui last weekend.

In recent years, North Korea and Russia have increased military and other alliances, with North Korea providing arms and personnel to support Russia's conflict in Ukraine. During his meeting with Choe, Lavrov expressed intentions to bolster Russian tourism to the area. "I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here," he stated.

Experts suggest that North Korea may have decided to cease foreign travel to the area after a Russian reporter accompanying Lavrov published an article implying that North Koreans at the site appeared to have been mobilized by authorities rather than being genuine tourists.

"The North Korean government is believed to have determined that it would face some negative consequences when it opens the site to foreigners," noted Oh Gyeong-seob, an analyst at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification.

Lee Sangkeun from Seoul's Institute for National Security Strategy suggests that the halt might relate to recruitment challenges for Russian tourists, given the remote and costly nature of the location.

Ban unlikely to be long-term Experts posit that North Korea must eventually welcome Russian and Chinese tourists to the Wonsan-Kalma zone due to the potentially enormous construction and operation expenses drawn from its limited budget.

"If foreign tourists aren't allowed to the site, no Russian rubles, Chinese yuans, and dollars will come in. Then, North Korea can't break even, and it has to shut down the resort," said Ahn Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul.

Kim has declared the site as "one of the greatest successes this year" and "the proud first step" in advancing tourism. State media in North Korea reports that the site has been bustling with local tourists.

North Korea has been cautiously lifting COVID-19 restrictions and gradually reopening its borders. However, the regime has not yet specified if it intends to fully resume international tourism.

Prior to the pandemic, group tours from China comprised over 90% of North Korea's tourists, but these remain on hold. In February, the country temporarily allowed a small international tourist group to visit the northeastern city of Rason, only to stop that initiative less than a month later. (AP)

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