North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally cut the ribbon to inaugurate a new luxury resort that state media hailed as a "national-level tourist city."
According to North Korea's official news agency KCNA, Kim Jong-un inaugurated the sprawling Wonsan-Kalma seaside resort, featuring water parks, high-rise hotels, and accommodation for nearly 20,000 guests—a high-end tourism display in one of the world's most secretive countries.
Wonsan-Kalma, inaugurated on June 24, is located on North Korea's east coast. KCNA reported that "services for domestic tourists will begin on July 1."
The magnificent Kalma resort - PHOTO: KCNA
Earlier this month, North Korea announced the opening of the Kalma train station, built to "ensure a high level of convenience for tourists visiting the coastal resort area." The Kalma beach resort is located next to the international airport, another indication that the project aims to attract foreign currency.
International presence at the ribbon-cutting ceremony was limited to Russian ambassadors and staff.
Last year, a small group of Russian tourists visited North Korea for a three-day skiing holiday at the Maskiryong resort – a long-standing tourist attraction since its opening in December 2013. Such activities, like all other tourist experiences in North Korea, are closely monitored and controlled by the government .
Many tourists told CNN that they had to abide by strict rules about what they could and could not photograph; they were allowed to watch a dance performance choreographed by North Korean children alongside outdoor activities.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inside the resort - PHOTO: KCNA
"Wonsan-Kalma is currently only open to North Koreans, but we may see Russians in the not-too-distant future," said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-resident fellow of the 38 North program at the Stimson Center.
North Korea's most notable experiment with international tourism occurred in the late 1990s, when it opened the stunning Kumgang Mountain area on its southeastern coast to visitors from South Korea.
The project was hailed as a rare symbol of inter-Korean engagement during a period of cautious rapprochement.
Nearly two million South Koreans visited the site over the next decade, providing Pyongyang with a vital source of foreign currency. However, the initiative came to an abrupt halt in 2008 after a North Korean soldier shot and killed a South Korean tourist who allegedly wandered into the restricted military zone, prompting Seoul to suspend tours indefinitely.
A central question surrounding the newly opened resort is whether one of the world's most secretive nations is ready to take a bigger leap into international tourism.
The resort will primarily cater to domestic tourists, alongside Russian visitors - PHOTO: NK NEWS
To date, Russians appear to be the only group of foreign tourists allowed into this beach resort. Vostok Intur, a travel company based in Vladivostok, is promoting three tour packages – one in July and two in August – priced at around US$1,840.
According to the company's website, the first tour is scheduled to begin on July 7th and will last eight days. Tourists will fly from Pyongyang to Wonsan, stay four nights in Kalma, and visit the nearby Masikryong Ski Resort.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Kim noted that the lessons learned in Kalma would be used to develop "promising large-scale tourism and cultural resorts" in other parts of the country...
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dat-nuoc-bi-an-nhat-the-gioi-mo-cua-khu-nghi-duong-xa-hoa-20000-khach-185250629074908707.htm
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