On July 17, 2025, North Korea’s National Tourism Administration announced a temporary suspension of foreign tourist arrivals at its newly inaugurated Wonsan-Kalma beach resort on the country’s east coast. The notice, posted on the DPR Korea Tour website, offered no explanation for the halt or an expected end date, casting uncertainty over one of leader Kim Jong Un’s flagship economic projects.
The sprawling complex first opened its doors to domestic travelers on July 1 and welcomed a group of 15 Russian visitors on July 11. Those inaugural international guests paid approximately $1,850 each for a week-long package that included an overnight train journey from Pyongyang, ten-course meals, and guided coastal excursions. Designed to host up to 20,000 guests across high-rise hotels, waterparks and stretches of golden sand, Wonsan-Kalma had been touted as a critical revenue source for the isolated nation.
Analysts note the ban followed closely on the heels of a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose accompanying journalist published a report implying many resort “tourists” were state-mobilized participants rather than genuine guests. That critique may have prompted North Korean authorities to reconsider further foreign access amid concerns over international image and political optics.
Despite this pause, state media continue to highlight strong domestic demand. Since opening, North Koreans have been shown enjoying swimming, water slides and other beachfront recreation—an encouraging sign for internal morale, if not for the vital foreign-currency inflows the resort was built to attract. Before COVID-19, Chinese group tours accounted for over 90% of international visitors, yet those tours remain stalled, and a brief trial of foreign arrivals in early 2025 was abruptly halted after just weeks.
Without a steady stream of paying international guests, experts warn the resort may struggle to recoup its substantial development and operational costs—funds that Pyongyang can ill afford to lose. Observers expect that economic pressures will ultimately push North Korea toward a phased reopening once political and security considerations are addressed.
The resort’s prime location—within easy reach of Mount Kumgang, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 13, 2025—was intended to capitalize on North Korea’s natural attractions. However, the suspension underscores the regime’s challenge of balancing tourism-driven revenue with strict controls over foreign influence.
North Korea’s broader tourism sector has seen only halting progress since the end of pandemic restrictions. Limited trial programs in border cities and the occasional arrival of small international groups have done little to restore pre-COVID traffic levels. Tianjing-Kangwon routes remain largely closed, leaving the future of the nation’s tourism ambitions in question.
For now, Pyongyang appears to be recalibrating its approach—seeking to protect political interests while testing the waters for economic revival. Whether the ban will be lifted swiftly or evolve into a protracted pause will reveal much about North Korea’s willingness to open its doors on its own terms.
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