North Korea has unexpectedly stopped foreign visitors from entering its newly launched Wonsan-Kalma beach resort. The large seaside complex opened to local tourists on July 1, with a small group of Russians visiting shortly after. However, the site is now closed to international travelers.
According to a notice on DPR Korea Tour, a website managed by North Korea’s tourism office, the resort is “temporarily not receiving foreign tourists.” No reason was given for the ban, nor was a timeline for reopening shared.
The resort is located along North Korea’s eastern coast. Officials say it can host up to 20,000 guests. When it opened, many believed the site would welcome Chinese tourists while limiting access for visitors from other nations.
The timing of the ban has raised questions. It comes just days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited the area. He held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the site. Lavrov praised the resort and said he expected more Russian tourists would visit in the future.
Despite his positive comments, experts suggest that North Korea may have reacted to negative press. A Russian journalist traveling with Lavrov wrote that the people at the resort did not seem like real tourists. Instead, they appeared to be mobilized by the government, possibly for show.
This detail may have triggered the ban. Analysts believe North Korea feared bad publicity if more foreigners observed similar scenes.
Oh Gyeong-seob, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said the decision likely affects all foreigners, including Russians. But NK News, which focuses on North Korean issues, reported that Russian visitors may still be allowed.
Lee Sangkeun, an analyst from the Institute for National Security Strategy, said the freeze might also be due to low demand. He noted that many Russians may find the cost and travel distance to North Korea too high.
Still, experts agree the resort needs foreign visitors to survive. The Wonsan-Kalma zone is one of the biggest and most costly tourism projects North Korea has developed. Opening it to only domestic tourists may not be enough to recover construction and maintenance costs.
Ahn Chan-il, who leads the World Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the country urgently needs foreign currency. Without it, the resort may be forced to close. Chinese yuan, Russian rubles, and U.S. dollars are key to keeping the site running, he added.
Leader Kim Jong Un had earlier described the resort as one of the country’s top achievements of the year. He also called it a major first step in boosting tourism. North Korean media claimed that local guests have already filled the complex since its opening.
The first Russian tourists to arrive visited the resort on July 11. They had previously toured Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital. One Russian traveler described the resort as clean, beautiful, and new.
The latest move follows a slow relaxation of North Korea’s pandemic-related border controls. The country has been reopening in phases but hasn’t announced a full return to global tourism.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese group tours made up the majority of visits. Over 90% of international tourists to North Korea were from China. In February, the country briefly allowed foreigners to visit the northeastern city of Rason. That program was soon paused again, with no updates since.
The ban on foreign visitors to Wonsan-Kalma casts doubt on North Korea’s broader tourism plans. With its economy under pressure, reopening the site to foreign tourists may soon become a priority again.
