Kim Jong Un And Family Inaugurates North Korea's First Beach Resort to Boost Tourism

World News: North Korea recently opened the long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort. A sprawling 5-kilometer sea facing resort that leader Kim Jong Un inaugurated to develop tourism in the country.

The resort, located on the east coast in Wonsan city where Kim reportedly spent part of his childhood. The lavish resort includes hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, a water park, and mini-golf course.   

According to reports the hotel is designed to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, though beach resort exclusively open for Russians and locals.

Kim inaugurated the resort on June 24, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter Kim Ju Ae. Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, was also present at the occasion.

The resort will start functioning for domestic tourists on July 1. North Korea briefly reopened itself to limited Western tourists earlier this year, but that window was abruptly closed without explanation.

The Wonsan-Kalma resort is part of Kim’s broader strategy to diversify the country’s economy and generate foreign revenue through tourism—one of the few legal avenues available under international sanctions. 

North Korea is one of the most isolated and mysterious countries on earth, maintaining very limited diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with the rest of the world.

The resort’s opening can be seen as a “proud first step” toward a new era in North Korean tourism.