North Korea has officially opened the long-delayed Wonsan Kalma coastal resort, a project leader Kim Jong Un hopes will boost domestic tourism and eventually attract international visitors, according to state media KCNA. The resort, six years behind schedule, is set to welcome North Korean tourists beginning 1 July, though no timeline has been confirmed for opening it to foreigners.
Spanning a 4-km (2.5-mile) stretch of the east coast, the resort reportedly includes hotels, restaurants, a shopping complex, and a water park, and claims to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors — none of which has been independently verified.
Kim, who spent part of his childhood in Wonsan where many of the country’s elite own private villas, has pushed to transform the town into a showcase for tourism. The area previously served as a missile testing site
Kim marked the resort’s completion on 24 June with a ceremony attended by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, making her first public appearance since January, and their daughter, Kim Ju Ae. Kim described the launch as a “great, auspicious event of the whole country” and a “prelude to the new era” in tourism. Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora and his embassy staff also attended the ceremony, underscoring Pyongyang’s strengthening ties with Moscow.
