North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening

North Korea recently opened a new seaside resort called the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, which is located in the city of Wonsan along the country's east coast. The resort officially opened on July 1 and features a wide range of attractions, including a water park, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and a long stretch of beachfront. The resort is designed to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors at a time, according to North Korean state media. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promoted the resort as a key part of his plan to boost tourism in the country, hoping to attract both local and international visitors. Wonsan is a city with historical significance for Kim, as he spent much of his youth there among the holiday homes of North Korea's elite.

In the weeks leading up to the resort's opening, North Korea advertised the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone as a destination for both North Koreans and foreigners. Last week, the first group of Russian tourists reportedly arrived at the resort, coinciding with a visit by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who met with Kim Jong Un in Wonsan. Lavrov praised the new development, calling it a 'good tourist attraction' and expressed hope that it would become popular among Russian travelers. Russia and North Korea are planning to launch direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang by the end of the month, which would make it easier for Russians to visit. A Russian tour guide mentioned that several more trips to the resort were being planned for the coming months.

However, despite the initial promotion to foreigners, North Korea has now announced that foreign tourists are 'temporarily' not allowed to visit the Wonsan Kalma resort. This information was posted on the country's tourism website, but no explanation was given for the sudden change. This is not the first time North Korea has restricted tourism without warning. After reopening to Russian tourists last year following a long pandemic-related closure, North Korea also briefly allowed tourists from Western countries such as Australia, France, Germany, and the UK earlier this year, only to halt tourism again a few weeks later. In addition to the uncertainty around tourism, human rights groups have raised concerns about the treatment of workers who built the resort, citing reports of forced labor, long hours, and poor working conditions. Despite the resort's modern attractions and the government's efforts to promote it, questions remain about who will be able to visit and the conditions under which the resort was constructed.