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North Korea will open a beach resort on its east coast next week, in what leader Kim Jong-un calls the "first step" towards developing the country's tourism sector.
The Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area, which stretches along a 4-kilometer beach line, includes hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park, according to state media.
Its construction began in 2018, but was delayed due to infrastructure problems and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new area, which has the capacity to host about 20,000 visitors a year, will open to domestic visitors on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It has not yet been announced when international tourists will be welcomed.
At the inauguration ceremony, Kim Jong-un appeared with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, who is thought to be his potential heir. The special guest at the event was the Russian ambassador to the country, Alexander Matsegora, KCNA confirmed.
Kim declared that the completion of Wonsan-Kalma constitutes "one of the greatest successes of this year" and a "proud step" in the development of the tourism industry in North Korea.
According to analysts, Russian tourists are expected to have an advantage over other foreigners, due to the close relations between the two countries.
North Korea and Russia deepened their alliance last year with a mutual defense treaty. Meanwhile, Pyongyang has also sent thousands of troops to support Russia in the war in Ukraine.
“It is very likely that North Korea will allow Russian tourists first, given the presence of Russian embassy officials at the ceremony,” said Lee Sangkeun, an expert at South Korea’s Institute for National Security Strategy. He added that relations with China still contain uncertainties, but Pyongyang’s huge investments in tourism will force the country to welcome Chinese tourists in the future.
The ban on foreign tourists entering North Korea, imposed in 2020 due to the pandemic, has not yet been fully lifted. However, Russian groups have begun to partially visit the country.
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