North Korea has barred foreign tourists from a newly opened beach resort on its east coast just weeks after promoting it as a “world-class tourist and cultural destination”.
Days after Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to help boost tourism in North Korea, authorities abruptly halted foreign access to the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area – offering no explanation for the unexpected move, according to Bloomberg.
North Korea’s official tourism site, DPR Korea Tour, announced on Wednesday that foreign visitors are “temporarily not accepted” in the zone, the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper reported.
After years in the making, North Korea’s “Benidorm-style” beach resort finally opened on 24 June – well past its original launch date of 15 April 2019, timed to honour national founder Kim Il Sung’s birthday.
The project, centred on a long white-sand beach near an airport in Kangwon province, had been delayed by sweeping international sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resort has drawn visitors from across the country, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). State media touted it as a “national treasure-level tourism city” – a glittering seaside development that contrasts sharply with the widespread hunger and hardship reported by human rights observers across North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrated the resort’s completion, hailing it as one of the regime’s “greatest successes this year”.
The Wonsan-Kalma resort recently began attracting Russian tourists, with a travel agency reportedly scheduling two more tours for August, according to the BBC.
Mr Kim’s choice to host Mr Lavrov there on 12 July – instead of in Pyongyang – was widely seen as a strategic showcase. The North Korean leader told Mr Lavrov that he was the resort’s “first foreign guest”.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova lavished praise on the resort during a Sputnik Radio interview this week, calling it a “fantastic holiday destination” with “perfectly equipped facilities”.
The resort stretches along 2.5 miles of coastline and can host up to 20,000 visitors, according to state media.
It’s reportedly outfitted with…
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