
North Korea halts foreign tourism at beach resort weeks after opening
The eastern coastal complex, which Pyongyang claims can accommodate up to 20,000 guests, had been promoted by leader Kim Jong-un as 'one of the greatest successes this year.'
However, the site is now 'temporarily not receiving foreign tourists,' the statement read, without providing a reason or indicating when the ban might be lifted.
The announcement follows Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent visit to the complex for talks with Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
Lavrov had voiced optimism about boosting Russian tourism to the area, saying, 'I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here.'
Yet analysts suggest Pyongyang may have imposed the suspension after a Russian journalist's article implied that local North Koreans at the site appeared to be organised by authorities rather than genuine holidaymakers.
'The North Korean government is believed to have determined that it would face some negative consequences when it opens the site to foreigners,' said Oh Gyeong-seob of Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification.
Lee Sangkeun of the Institute for National Security Strategy in Seoul added that the decision might also be linked to difficulties in attracting Russian tourists, given the site's distance and travel costs.
Experts, however, believe the ban is likely to be short-lived. The Wonsan-Kalma development — believed to have required substantial investment from North Korea's already strained economy — was intended to generate foreign currency through tourism.
'If foreign tourists aren't allowed to the site, no Russian rubles, Chinese yuan and dollars will come in. Then, North Korea can't break even and it has to shut down the resort,' said Ahn Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies.
Although the resort has been bustling with domestic visitors, there has been no confirmation of when broader international tourism will resume. Group tours from China, which accounted for over 90% of visitors before the COVID-19 pandemic, have yet to restart.
Kim has previously hailed the Wonsan-Kalma resort as 'the proud first step' in revitalising the country's tourism sector.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

LeMonde
20 hours ago
- LeMonde
Israel allows aid air dops to Gaza to resume
Israel said Saturday, July 26, it would allow food to be airdropped to Gaza and designate humanitarian corridors for UN aid convoys, as thousands of Palestinians face the threat of widespread famine. Before Israel announced that the flights would resume, the United Arab Emirates had said it would restart aid drops and Britain said it would work with partners including Jordan to assist them. The decision to loosen up the flow of aid came as the Palestinian civil defense agency said over 50 more Palestinians had been killed in Israeli strikes and shootings Saturday, some as they waited near aid distribution centers. Later Saturday, Israel troops boarded a boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as it attempted to approach Gaza from the sea, in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade. "The humanitarian airdrop operation will be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and the (Israeli army), led by COGAT and the IAF," the Israeli statement said, referring to the civilian affairs unit for Palestinian territories and the air force. "In addition, it was decided that designated humanitarian corridors would be established to enable the safe movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine to the population." The statement also noted this would improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and disprove "the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip." Humanitarian chiefs are deeply skeptical that airdrops can deliver enough food to tackle the deepening hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. They are instead demanding that Israel allow more overland convoys. But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the idea, vowing to work with Jordan to restart airdrops. An Israeli official had told AFP on Friday that airdrops in Gaza would resume soon and that they would be conducted by the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Starmer's office said that in a call with his French and German counterparts, the "prime minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance." The United Arab Emirates said it would resume airdrops "immediately." "The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level," Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a post on X. "Air drops are resuming once more, immediately." 'Starving civilians' A number of Western and Arab governments carried out air drops in Gaza in 2024, when aid deliveries by land also faced Israeli restrictions, but many in the humanitarian community consider them ineffective. "Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. "They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians." Israel imposed a total blockade on the entry of aid into Gaza on March 2 after talks to extend a ceasefire in the over 21-month-old conflict broke down. In late May, it began letting a trickle of aid enter. Israel's military insists it does not limit the number of trucks going into the Gaza Strip, and alleges that UN agencies and relief groups are not collecting the aid once it is inside the territory. But humanitarian organizations accuse the Israeli army of imposing excessive restrictions, while tightly controlling road access within Gaza. A separate aid operation is under way through the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but it has faced fierce international criticism after Israeli fire killed hundreds of Palestinians near distribution points. Naval blockade On Saturday evening, the live feed on the Handala – an aid boat belonging to pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla – showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. The soldiers moved in as the boat approached Gaza and three video livefeeds of the scene broadcasting online were cut minutes later. Israeli forces last month intercepted and boarded another boat run by the same group, the Madleen. Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed over 50 people on Saturday, including 14 killed in separate incidents near aid distribution centers. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

LeMonde
21 hours ago
- LeMonde
'In Eastern Europe, it is often mainstream media that spreads false information and promotes illiberal ideas'
In light of growing evidence of democratic backsliding and rising authoritarianism worldwide, digital media are increasingly seen as central drivers of these trends – both for their well-documented role in amplifying illiberal and radical right-wing politics, and for their known susceptibility to foreign manipulation. This perception is arguably reinforced by media coverage of some of the recent elections, from France to the United States to Romania, highlighting the importance of video platforms, influencers and podcasters for electoral mobilization, as well as raising alarms about Russian interference. However, if we step back from the narrow focus on electoral campaigns in countries with relatively pluralistic news markets, and take a look at the broader political information environment shaping citizens' opinions, we can often see that it is the mainstream media and domestic actors – rather than social media and hostile foreign powers – who assume the central role in the dissemination of false information, and in the promotion of illiberal attitudes. Our own research on the rise of illiberalism in Eastern Europe highlights many such examples, while at the same time showing that under certain conditions – namely, wherever the majority of the mainstream media market has been captured by illiberal political actors or their business allies – social media can act as channels of resistance against the forces of illiberalism. Major channels of propaganda In Eastern Europe, some of the most potent manifestations of the crucial role of mainstream media in the illiberal public sphere are currently observed in Hungary and Serbia. In Hungary, Viktor Orban's Fidesz party has effectively colonized the vast majority of the media market, and turned major media brands into channels of government propaganda, starting with the public service broadcaster MTVA. In Serbia, the key outlets upholding the illiberal regime of Aleksandar Vucic have been commercial TV stations such as Pink TV, TV Happy, TV Prva and TV92, as well as the main national tabloids such as Informer, Alo, Kurir and Srpski telegraf, all owned by Serbian companies with close ties with the ruling elites.

LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
Thai-Cambodia clashes spread along border as death toll rises
Thailand and Cambodia pounded each other with heavy artillery fire for a third day on Saturday, July 26, as a border conflict that killed at least 33 people and displaced more than 150,000 from their homes spread across the frontier. Clashes broke out for the first time in the countries' coastal regions where they meet on the Gulf of Thailand, around 250 kilometers southwest of the main frontlines, thumping with blasts on Saturday afternoon. Both sides say they are open to a truce in the combat being fought with jets, tanks and ground troops, but have accused the other of undermining armistice efforts. Tensions initially flared over long-contested ancient temple sites before fighting spread along the countries' rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. Cambodia's Defense Ministry said 13 people have been confirmed killed in the fighting since Thursday, including eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded. Thai authorities say 13 civilians and seven soldiers have been killed on their side, taking the toll across both nations higher than it was in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011. Both sides reported a coastline clash around 5 am local time on Saturday, with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing "five heavy artillery shells" into Pursat province, bordering Thailand's Trat province. The conflict has also forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand's border regions, and more than 35,000 driven from their homes in Cambodia. After an urgent UN Security Council meeting in New York on Friday, Cambodia's UN ambassador Chhea Keo said his country wanted a ceasefire. "Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire – unconditionally – and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute," he told reporters. Border row Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday that for any ceasefire or talks to proceed, Cambodia needed to show "genuine sincerity in ending the conflict." "I urge Cambodia to stop violating Thai sovereignty and to return to resolving the issue through bilateral dialogue," Maris told reporters. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said Friday, before the UN meeting was held, that Bangkok was open to talks, possibly aided by Malaysia. Malaysia currently holds the chair of the ASEAN regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Both sides have blamed the other for firing first. Additionally, Cambodia has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions, while Thailand has accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a gas station struck by at least one rocket. Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, still an influential figure in the kingdom, visited shelters on Saturday to meet evacuees. "The military needs to complete its operations before any dialogue can take place," Thaksin told reporters. The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbors over their shared 800-kilometer border, where dozens of kilometers are contested. A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for more than a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash on the border. Relations between the two countries soured dramatically when Hun Sen last month released a recording of a call with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra focused on the border row. The leak triggered a political crisis in Thailand as Paetongtarn, Thaksin's daughter, was accused of not standing up for Thailand enough, and of criticizing her own army. She was suspended from office by a court order.