North Korea has suspended the entry of foreign visitors to its new beach resort in Wonsan-Kalma, only weeks after opening the site to domestic tourists and a small group of Russians, state-run tourism website DPR Korea Tour announced Wednesday.
The eastern coastal complex, which Pyongyang claims can accommodate up to 20,000 guests, had been promoted by leader Kim Jong-un as “one of the greatest successes this year.”
However, the site is now “temporarily not receiving foreign tourists,” the statement read, without providing a reason or indicating when the ban might be lifted.
The announcement follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent visit to the complex for talks with Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
Lavrov had voiced optimism about boosting Russian tourism to the area, saying, “I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here.”
Yet analysts suggest Pyongyang may have imposed the suspension after a Russian journalist’s article implied that local North Koreans at the site appeared to be organised by authorities rather than genuine holidaymakers.
“The North Korean government is believed to have determined that it would face some negative consequences when it opens the site to foreigners,” said Oh Gyeong-seob of Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification.
Lee Sangkeun of the Institute for National Security Strategy in Seoul added that the decision might also be linked to difficulties in attracting Russian tourists, given the site's distance and travel costs.
Experts, however, believe the ban is likely to be short-lived. The Wonsan-Kalma development — believed to have required substantial investment from North Korea’s already strained economy — was intended to generate foreign currency through tourism.
“If foreign tourists aren't allowed to the site, no Russian rubles, Chinese yuan 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.
Although the resort has been bustling with domestic visitors, there has been no confirmation of when broader international tourism will resume. Group tours from China, which accounted for over 90% of visitors before the COVID-19 pandemic, have yet to restart.
Kim has previously hailed the Wonsan-Kalma resort as “the proud first step” in revitalising the country’s tourism sector.
