North Korea bans foreign tourists from beach-side resorts just weeks after they were completed
The seaside city of Wonsan, a popular holidaymaking spot for locals, has been the centre of a major redevelopment for the country's tourism sector that can reportedly accommodate about 20,000 visitors.
But North Korean tourism website DPR Korea Tour issued a notice on Friday stating the freshly finished tourist zone is 'temporarily not receiving foreign tourists,' AP has reported.
No further details about the ban were provided by the tourism authority.
The announcement comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Wonsan last weekend, when Mr Lavrov reportedly said he thought Russian nationals will be 'increasingly eager' to visit the tourist destination.
State media in the hermit kingdom last month reported that construction of a large tourist zone in the east coast city had been completed.
The zone had been driven by Kim for years to promote tourism, and the supreme leader attended the tourist area's inaugural ceremony with 'great satisfaction,' KCNA news agency said.
Development plans for zone have ballooned since they were first announced in 2014.
Kim has said the country will construct more large-scale tourist zones swiftly, according to state media.
North Korea previously sealed its borders in 2020 at the beginning of the Covid pandemic but has been slowly lifting restrictions since 2023.
Though North Korea has allowed Russian tourists into the country, its capital Pyongyang and other parts of the nation have remained closed to regular tourism.
Tourism is among a narrow range of cash sources for the country not targeted by United Nations sanctions, but North Korea did not have a major foreign partner for the Wonsan project against the backdrop of sanctions over its weapons programmes.
With Reuters
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