North Korea's new ‘Benidorm' resort mysteriously BANS foreign tourists days after opening – following years of delays
Dubbed the "North Korean Benidorm",
Advertisement
13
Kim has closed off his new tourist resort to all foreigners
Credit: Reuters
13
The sea did not look particularly inviting for the first batch of visitors
Credit: AFP
13
Kim waved to adoring fans at an opening ceremony at the end of June
Credit: AFP
13
A North Korean man makes the most of the water park at Wonsan after it opened
Credit: AFP
The Costa del Sol-inspired resort - complete with beaches, waterparks and a strip - had been
markets
.
Wonsan
But then a notice popped up on the national tourism website slapping a "temporary" ban on all overseas visitors.
According to state-run North Korean
news
, a group of 15 Russian holidaymakers rocked up last week - around the same time Russia's Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov visited Kim in Wonsan.
Advertisement
read more in world news
Lavrov heaped praise on the "good tourist attraction" and said he hoped it would become a popular hols spot for Russians.
NK News said the Russians had been "wowed" by "lavish ten-dish meals", "eerily good service" and "endless beaches".
Other eager Russians will no doubt be disappointed to miss out on this mind-boggling experience.
And a Russian tour guide previously told NK News that they had planned several more trips to the resort in the coming months - but not anymore.
Advertisement
Most read in The US Sun
Exclusive
Exclusive
The chance of other international
travellers
being permitted a peak behind the curtain is looking evermore remote.
Kim Jong Un sheds tears over North Korean troops killed in Ukraine
The city is where Kim spent much of his youth, among holiday villas, maritime infrastructure - and missile facilities.
The dictator oversaw the project himself, and was reportedly inspired by the way Europeans choose to holiday in countries like Spain.
Advertisement
He is even said to have dispatched a team to the Costa del Sol to take notes and report back.
The result is a 2.5-mile stretch of beachfront lined with restaurants, hotels for 20,000 people, shopping malls and water park.
13
Kids were pictured splashing around in the swimming pool
Credit: AFP
13
The strip running along Wonsan before it was officially opened
Credit: AFP
Advertisement
13
A mock-up of Kim on Spain's Costa del Sol - which is said to have inspired Wonsan
13
Kim has proudly inspected the construction project several times over the years - and returned at the end of June for a bizarre opening ceremony.
And declared that
would go down as 'one of the greatest successes this year' and hailed the site as 'the proud first step' towards
.
Advertisement
But the work did not always go according to plan - and was repeatedly stalled by a range of problems.
At one point, the site was even overrun by homeless wanderers - known as "kotjebi" in
- who filled the empty
with faeces.
13
Kim cutting the ceremonial ribbon
Credit: AFP
13
These ladies braved the grey weather and took to Wonsan's beach
Credit: AFP
Advertisement
13
Kim shows his daughter Kim Ju Ae around the inside of one of the hotels
Credit: Reuters
If overseas visitors are ever allowed in, campaigners have warned that nobody's safety is assured.
Greg Scarlatoiu, director of the Committee for
He said: 'The Wonsan-Kalma resort was built with forced labour. Vacationing there is morally and ethically wrong – it is truly an abomination.
Advertisement
'Having Russian nationals vacation there is testament to the pathetic isolation of both Russia and North Korea.'
Past tourists in the country have even lost their lives.
Greg gave the example of Otto Warmbier, an American student arrested on dubious charges during a trip to Pyongyang in 2016.
Accused of taking down a propaganda poster, he was detained for 17 months.
Advertisement
13
The dictator said the new opening marked a new chapter in North Korea's tourism industry
13
Kim and his daughter watch a volunteer catapulted into a pool from a waterslide
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Train derailment kills three in Germany
Three people have been killed and several others were injured when a regional passenger train derailed in a wooded area in southwestern Germany, police said. About 100 passengers were aboard the train, when the incident occurred at around 6:10 pm (5:10pm Irish time) near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg state. Contacted by AFP, police initially said four people had been killed before correcting their statement to three victims. Authorities declined to elaborate on the number of injured or how seriously hurt they were, but tabloid Bild cited emergency workers saying there were 50 injured. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed several deaths and numerous injured. It added that two train carriages had derailed "for reasons yet unknown". Authorities were currently investigating the circumstances of the incident, the operator said, and traffic had been suspended over a 40km stretch of the route. German media reported that a landslide might have caused the incident as severe storms swept through the region, according to weather services. The passenger train was travelling from the German town of Sigmaringen to the city of Ulm when it derailed in a forested area. In a post on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences to the families of those killed. He added that he was in close contact with both the interior and transport ministers, and had asked them to "provide the emergency services with all the support they need". Footage from the scene showed yellow-and-grey-coloured train carriages lying on their sides, as firefighters and emergency services tried to get to the passengers. According to local TV station SWR, helicopters arrived shortly after the incident to transport the injured to hospitals in the area, and emergency doctors from nearby hospitals were alerted. German transport is regularly criticised by passengers for its outdated infrastructure, with travellers facing frequent train delays and various technical problems. The government has pledged to invest several hundred billion euros over the next few years, in particular to modernise infrastructure. In June 2022, a train derailed near a Bavarian Alpine resort in southern Germany, killing four people and injuring dozens. Germany's deadliest rail incident happened in 1998 when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn derailed in Eschede in Lower Saxony, killing 101 people.
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
First tourists visit North Korea's ghostly ‘Benidorm' resort where ‘minders' follow visitors & phones are ‘bugged'
NORTH Korea has welcomed its first tourists to its ghostly new " Benidorm " beach resort. But the initial batch of visitors have reported that they are followed everywhere and their phones are likely bugged. 10 The newly built resort, called Wonsan‑Kalma, has opened for Russian tourists on package tours Credit: East2West 10 A group of 13 inaugural guests went to the resort Credit: East2West 10 Russian tourists watched 24/7 on a rare trip inside the repressive state Credit: East2West The newly built resort, called Wonsan‑Kalma, has opened for Russian tourists on package tours. It features a a giant artificial white sand beach - once a missile test site - on the Sea of Japan, and was opened by dictator Kim Jong Un himself. But Russian guests say the experience is very different inside a state even more repressive than their own. "You are accompanied everywhere… even on the beach someone walked with us," according to blogger Daria Zubkova. read more in world news Yet this was as "sweet concern" for guests rather than more "They are walking [with you]. "[If] you want, they chat with you, [if not] they just walk behind you." Daria added that the minders "argue that they worry about us getting lost or something else". Most read in The US Sun But the veterinary therapist added: "What many people are afraid of….is some kind of wiretapping everywhere and so on. "Most likely, I think that there is probably all of this, but we just weren't afraid, because we have nothing to say that would make someone scold us for it." North Korea's 'Benidorm' to FINALLY open next week as tyrant Kim Jong-Un cuts ribbon - and Brits have signed up to visit The resort can accommodate up to 20,000 people, according to reports, and has jet-skis. Russian tourists holidaying there must make their own way to the eastern city of Vladivostok. From there they are flown into North Korea - to the capital city of Pyongyang. But once in the country, the group of 13 inaugural guests had their short flight from Pyongyang to Wonsan was suddenly cancelled - and a train arranged instead. "An entire train for just 13 people is simply unthinkable," said Daria. "It was new, very comfortable, with air conditioning." 10 The resort has opened for its first guests Credit: East2West 10 North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un opens Wonsan-Kalma pet project beach resort Credit: East2West 10 Russian tourist Daria Zubkova shows an empty beach in Wonsan-Kalma resort Credit: East2West 10 The resort can accommodate up to 20,000 people, according to reports Credit: East2West She added: "I saw villages [from the windows of the train]….people are working in the fields, not very rich people." Another tourist Lyudmila said: "I was even interested in riding the train, because for the first time I saw that the mountains they paint in their pictures really exist. "It is also very interesting to see the country from the train." But once they got to Wonsan, their hotel was full with visiting officials and journalists accompanying Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. The tourists were then moved to inferior accommodation. Tourists were also told that sending emails cost £1.65 each. The tour company made clear that the secret police would have the opportunity to monitor their messages. "Please note that the email will be sent from the hotel's email box, not yours. "Therefore, to make it easier to find a reply addressed to you, we recommend that you include your room number in the subject line." Tourists were also told in advance: "We recommend taking tea, coffee, sugar with you!!! Fruits are not served." But Daria added: "There were a lot of types of meat, duck, rabbit, different types of fish. They really tried to please us." The basic cost of this tour for Russians is £1,360 - once they have made their way to Vladivostok. All but £325 of this has to be paid in cash. "We like everything," said tourist Pavla Gambal. "The sea is warm, the beach is clean, they keep order. "The territory is well-kept. The food is very tasty, you can eat it." It comes at a time when when North Korea has sent soldiers to die for "ally" Vladimir Putin, along with ship loads of military equipment and ammunition. 10 Russian guests say the experience is very different inside a state even more repressive than their own Credit: East2West 10 The basic cost of this tour for Russians is £1,360 Credit: East2West 10 A small group of Russian tourists was taken to the resort Credit: East2West
The Irish Sun
16 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Travel alert for Irish holidaygoers as two holiday hotspots declared ‘disaster zones' amid horror wildfires
IRISH holidaygoers have been hit with a major travel warning as wildfires engulf two popular holiday spots. Both Advertisement 5 Greece has been engulfed by wildfires for weeks Credit: AP 5 Holidaymakers might want to rethink their plans Credit: Reuters Earlier today it was announced that at least 13 people have been One of the deceased was a firefighter trying to tame the blaze. Meanwhile, more than 1,700 Turkish civilians have been forced to flee their The regions of Bursa, Karabuk, Usak, and Kahramanmaras are still affected. Advertisement READ MORE IN TRAVEL And multiple " Adana, Mersin, Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk are all practically no-go zones. Amid the chaos, Irish jetsetters will likely want to rethink their Each summer, thousands of Advertisement Most read in News Travel But those travelling to the popular destinations are warned to check the fire status of the location before making their way there. And those with a holiday to Greece planned have been hit with a travel alert from the Huge wildfires spreads across Athens and two popular Greek islands as thousands are evacuated The department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Trade recently issued a statement regarding the wildfires in Greece. Although there are no travel restrictions in place, visitors have been urged to follow local authority guidelines. Advertisement The DFA said: "Greece is currently facing several wildfires following high summer temperatures and subsequent heatwaves. "The risk of wildfires is expected to intensify in the coming weeks. "In the case of a wildfire, the authorities will issue notifications regarding evacuations via the 112 message service to all mobile phones in the area. "These will be provided in both English and Greek, and we would ask citizens to follow any advice received from local authorities. Advertisement "Stay fully informed of what is going on by monitoring local news and social media. "Call the Greek Emergency Services on 112 if in immediate danger." And the popular island of Santorini will be under a series o safety measures until October. Once again holidaygoers have been told to follow the island's local authority guidelines. Advertisement 5 The Government has given a major travel alert for Greece Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 At least 13 people have been killed Credit: AP 5 Tens of thousands had been forced to evacuate their homes Credit: Reuters
