After years of anticipation and delays, North Korea’s much-discussed Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort looks ready to open its doors. Satellite images from earlier this year, first noted by 38 North, show the final touches being put in place. Seating is set up along the beach and colourful furniture is in position at the water park. Construction has stopped, meeting the deadline set by Marshall Kim Jong Un back in July 2023. Now, with June well underway, the resort’s opening could be imminent.
This could mark a significant moment for North Korea’s tourism ambitions. While the country has struggled with border closures and the economic impact of the pandemic, Wonsan-Kalma could the silver bullet that at least starts the opening up process.
A Resort with a Long History of Delays and Changes
The Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort was announced in 2018 as a major project to turn Wonsan into a beach city on par with other regional resorts. The plan was ambitious: hotels, a water park, beaches, restaurants and even a tram line to ferry visitors along the shore.
Initially, the resort was supposed to open in 2019, but that timeline proved optimistic. Construction stalled multiple times as leadership preferences shifted. When the pandemic hit, national priorities changed entirely. Resources were diverted towards housing and health infrastructure, effectively putting the resort on hold for a couple of years.
In July 2023, Kim Jong Un personally inspected the site and demanded completion by May 2024. While that deadline was missed, North Korean media confirmed in December 2023 that the resort would open in June 2025 (AKA Now)
What Satellite Imagery Reveals
The images from early 2025 show a site largely finished. The beach is lined with umbrellas and loungers, the water park is colourful and inviting, and the tram station holds 27 electric vehicles — these were delivered back in 2020 but have remained unused until now.
With no signs of ongoing construction, it appears the focus has shifted fully to final preparations ahead of welcoming guests. As is no news is good news.
Tourism in 2024 and Early 2025: A Slow Reopening
Tourism has barely returned to North Korea since the pandemic lockdowns. In 2024, the only significant foreign visitors were a limited number of Russian tourists, although numbers have not been what the DPRK had hoped for.
Early 2025 saw some cautious openings. YPT were the first to resume organized visits to the Rason Special Economic Zone. This was a notable development as it marked the opening of the country, even if it did not last very long.
The Pyongyang Marathon in April 2025 allowed a small group of foreign runners to participate under strict controls. It was one of the few international events open to foreigners, though again it seems to have been controversial.
On the other hand, the 2025 Spring International Trade Fair was meant to be a sign of growing openness but ended with a last-minute decision to bar foreign guests. This was something we were quite disappointed about.
What Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort Means for North Korea’s Future
The resort will initially be expected to serve domestic tourists. That fits with the government’s focus on boosting internal economic activity and providing leisure opportunities for its citizens.
Longer-term, Wonsan-Kalma could become a carefully managed destination for international visitors, marking a step towards cautiously reopening the country. Or it may even become a sort of Korean Veradero which mainly serves Chinese and Russian sun seekers.
The resort’s tram system, hotels and beaches show the regime’s commitment to modern tourism infrastructure, which can only be viewed with optimism.
Can I visit Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort?
In the short term the answer to this is most probably no, because from our side at least there has been no communication suggesting otherwise. Might you be able to one day go there? We certainly not just hope so, but genuinely think so.
And while it might not be perfect for those wanting to see the “Real Deal DPRK”, I am sure there are at least a few country collectors that would be more than happy to use a resort to tick things off.
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