North Korea Opens Wonsan-Kalma Tourist Zone Amid Tourist Restrictions

Seoul, July 2 (AP) — North Koreans are indulging in aquatic fun, riding water park slides and embracing other activities at the massive new beach resort, as reported by state media on Wednesday. This comes even as the country continues to heavily restrict the entry of foreign tourists.

The Wonsan-Kalma eastern coastal tourist zone, which North Korea claims can host nearly 20,000 people, stands at the forefront of leader Kim Jong Un's initiative to bolster tourism as a means to uplift the nation’s faltering economy. Yet, with borders likely to remain closed to Western tourists for the foreseeable future, analysts express skepticism about the long-term prospects of the country's largest tourism complex.

The Korean Central News Agency stated that the Wonsan-Kalma area kicked off operations on Tuesday, attracting vast numbers of North Koreans who relished open water swimming, waterslides, and numerous other attractions at the water park and the surrounding area.

“Visitors’ hearts were brimming with excitement as they witnessed the remarkable flourishing of our unique tourism culture under the Workers' Party's leadership,” KCNA reported in its usual propaganda-laden fashion.

State media images showed children equipped with tubes and inflatable balls enjoying the sea, while others in colorful swimwear smiled beneath red-and-white parasols.

Kim Jong Un remarked during the inaugural event last week that the site would be remembered as “one of the greatest achievements this year," heralding its opening as “the proud first step” in fulfilling government policies aimed at developing tourism.

Since 2022, North Korea has been gradually reducing the pandemic-induced restrictions and reopening its borders incrementally. However, the country has not clarified if or when it will fully resume international tourism.

Before the pandemic, Chinese group tours comprised more than 90 percent of visitors, but these remain on hold amid uncertainties about diplomatic relations between the two socialist neighbors. In February, North Korea permitted a limited group of international visitors to tour its northeastern border city of Rason, only to suspend the program less than a month later.

Since February 2024, North Korea has been accepting Russian tourists amid growing military ties between the two nations. Nonetheless, Russian government records reviewed by South Korean analysts indicated that only slightly over 2,000 Russians, with a mere 880 classified as tourists, visited North Korea last year, an amount insufficient to rejuvenate the country's tourism sector.

Last week, Russia's Primorsky region, which shares a border with North Korea, announced that the first contingent of Russian tourists visiting the Wonsan-Kalma resort is scheduled to depart on July 7 for an eight-day excursion, which includes a stop in Pyongyang. (AP) RD RD

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