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On July 1, North Korea inaugurated its coastal resort, Wonsan Kalma, but with one condition: Foreign tourists will not be allowed in.
Before its opening, the resort was promoted as a tourist attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea's tourism website said foreigners were "temporarily" not allowed to visit.
Last week, the first Russian tourists reportedly arrived at the Wonsan resort - around the same time that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Kim.
Lavrov hailed the coastal development as a "good tourist attraction" and said he hoped it would become popular among Russians, AFP reported. The two countries are set to launch direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang by the end of the month.
A Russian tour guide previously told NK News that they had planned several more trips to the resort in the coming months.
Wonsan, a city along North Korea's east coast, is home to some of the country's missile facilities and a large naval complex. It's also where Kim spent much of his youth, among the country villas owned by the country's elite.
The new seaside resort has about 4 kilometers of beach with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and a water park. According to state media, it has a capacity of about 20,000 people.
However, since construction of the resort began in 2018, human rights groups have protested against the alleged mistreatment of its workers.
Russian ambassadors attended the resort's completion ceremony on June 24, along with Kim and his family.
Last year, North Korea allowed Russian tourists to visit North Korea after a multi-year suspension of tourism during the pandemic.
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