Latest news with #Benidorm-style
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
North Korea abruptly bars foreigners from recently unveiled ‘world class' beach resort days after Lavrov visit
Days after Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov vowed to help boost tourism in North Korea, authorities abruptly halted foreign access to the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area – offering no explanation for the unexpected move, according to Bloomberg. North Korea's official tourism site, DPR Korea Tour, announced on Wednesday that foreign visitors are 'temporarily not accepted' in the zone, Korea JoongAng Daily reported. After years in the making, North Korea's 'Benidorm-style' beach resort finally opened on June 24 – well past its original launch date of April 15, 2019, timed to honour national founder Kim Il Sung's birthday. State media touted it as a 'national treasure-level tourism city" The project, centred on a long white-sand beach in Kangwon province, had been delayed by sweeping international sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic. The resort has drawn visitors from across the country, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). State media touted it as a 'national treasure-level tourism city' – a glittering seaside development that contrasts sharply with the widespread hunger and hardship reported by human rights observers across North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the occasion by celebrating the resort's completion, hailing it as one of the regime's 'greatest successes this year'. The Wonsan-Kalma resort recently began attracting Russian tourists, with a travel agency reportedly scheduling two more tours for August, according to the BBC. Mr Kim's choice to host Mr Lavrov there on July 12 – instead of in Pyongyang – was widely seen as a strategic showcase. The North Korean leader told Mr Lavrov that he was the resort's 'first foreign guest' since the opening of the tourism zone. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova lavished praise on the Wonsan-Kalma resort during a Sputnik Radio interview this week, calling it a 'fantastic holiday destination' with 'perfectly equipped facilities'. The Wonsan-Kalma resort stretches across 4km of coastline and can host up to 20,000 visitors, according to North Korean state media. It's reportedly outfitted with amenities aimed at rivalling global beach destinations – a goal underscored in 2017 when Mr Kim dispatched a delegation to Spain's Benidorm resort to study its theme parks, high-rise hotels, and marina facilities. A North Korean tourism brochure cited by the BBC lists 43 hotels lining the beachfront, alongside guesthouses on a man-made lake and campgrounds catering to different traveller types. When the tourism resort area was opened, Mr Kim was seen relaxing poolside with his daughter Kim Ju Ae with a pack of cigarettes, cold drink, and a towel. Tourism is a crucial source of income for the sanctions-stricken Kim regime, but since loosening its pandemic border controls, North Korea has admitted only a limited number of Russian visitors.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening
North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists. The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened on 1 July, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ambitions to boost tourism. In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea's tourism website says that foreigners are "temporarily" not allowed to visit. Last week, the first Russian tourists reportedly arrived at the resort in Wonsan - around the same time that Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met Kim in the city. Lavrov hailed the seaside development as a "good tourist attraction", and said he hoped it would become popular among Russians, AFP reported. The two countries are set to launch direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang by the end of the month. A Russian tour guide previously told NK News that they had planned several more trips to the resort in the coming months. Wonsan, a city along North Korea's east coast, is home to some of the country's missile facilities and a large maritime complex. It's also where Kim spent much of his youth, among holiday villas belonging to the country's elites. The new seaside resort has lined 4km (2.5 miles) of its beachfront with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park. It has a capacity of some 20,000 people, according to state media. However, since the resort began construction in 2018, human rights groups have protested the alleged mistreatment of its workers. They point to reports of people being forced to work long hours to finish the massive project, under harsh conditions and inadequate compensation. Russian ambassadors attended the resort's completion ceremony on 24 June, along with Kim and his family. Last year, North Korea allowed Russian tourists to visit North Korea after a years-long suspension of tourism during the pandemic. In February, North Korea also started to receive tourists from the West, including Australia, France, Germany and the UK. It abruptly halted tourism weeks later, however, without saying why. North Korea's Benidorm-style resort welcomes first Russian tourists North Korea to open beach resort as Kim bets on tourism Solve the daily Crossword
