Luxury resort in North Korea opens, with maximum capacity of 20,000 guests

(Dan Tri) - A high-end coastal resort complex in North Korea has just officially opened to visitors. This complex is designed with the goal of becoming a symbol of the country's tourism development.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Kalma coastal resort. Inside the complex are water parks and high-rise hotels with a maximum capacity of about 20,000 people.

The Wonsan-Kalma resort was inaugurated on June 24 on the east coast of North Korea. KCNA said domestic tourists will be welcomed from July 1.

Resort seen from above (Photo: KCNA).

North Korea has already opened the Kalma train station, which is designed to provide maximum convenience for tourists to the coastal resort . The Kalma resort is located right next to an international airport, indicating that the project is aimed at attracting foreign currency. The complex is designed to become a symbol of the country's tourism development.

In his speech, Mr. Kim Jong Un emphasized that Wonsan-Kalma will be one of the biggest achievements this year, and also mark a "proud first step" in the national tourism development policy.

"Many visitors were amazed by the grand scale of the complex," KCNA described.

In the first days of welcoming domestic visitors, the atmosphere here was shared as "filled with joy as people experienced a new level of civilization".

Images released by North Korean media show children playing in the sea or relaxing under colorful umbrellas on the sand.

According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, a group of Russian tourists are expected to visit North Korea's new resort for the first time on July 7. It is known that North Korea has approved the entry of Russian tourists since February 2024.

Russian tourists are expected to be the first international visitors to the complex. Vladivostok-based travel company Vostok Intur is promoting three tour packages, one in July and two in August, priced at around $1,840 per person.

The first guests experience the resort (Photo: KCNA).

The company's official website also introduced the first tour, departing on July 7 for an eight-day trip. Accordingly, visitors will fly from the capital Pyongyang to Wonsan and stay four nights at the resort. The itinerary includes a visit to the nearby Masikryong ski resort.

If tourists from China want to come here, they will not go on their own but must buy a tour through a licensed travel agency such as Young Pioneer Tours and Koryo Tours. These are two Chinese travel agencies that specialize in organizing tours to bring tourists to North Korea.

Tour guests will have a tour guide from the travel agency and a local guide to follow the entire program. If traveling in a group, Chinese guests do not need to apply for a visa thanks to a special single-entry permit to enter North Korea.

CNN assessed that with the high-end Kalma resort, North Korea seems to want to try again in the field of welcoming international guests, hoping to increase its reputation and attract foreign currency.

The plan to build the resort was first announced in 2013. The project is part of leader Kim Jong Un's vision to turn Wonsan, a historically valuable port city, into an economic and tourist hub.

According to statistics compiled by NK News , in 2019, about 350,000 Chinese tourists traveled to North Korea, bringing in a large source of revenue for Pyongyang.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/khu-nghi-duong-cao-cap-o-trieu-tien-mo-cua-suc-chua-toi-da-20000-khach-20250703232126874.htm