Latest news with #NorthKoreanBenidorm
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Truth behind North Korea's Benidorm resort exposed with ‘slave brigades' working 21-hour days & women sexually assaulted
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT'S the showpiece beach resort at the heart of Kim Jong-un's plans for a holiday empire – but the 'North Korean Benidorm' hides a dark secret. The Wonsan-Kalma resort reportedly got its nickname after dictator Kim sent a fact-finding mission to Spain's Costa Blanca in 2017. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 12 North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un opens Wonsan-Kalma pet project beach resort Credit: Reuters 12 The strip running along Wonsan before it was officially opened Credit: AFP 12 The resort has opened for its first guests Credit: East2West But unlike its Mediterranean rival, Wonsan-Kalma has a history filled with forced labour, human rights abuses – and poo. The horrors began right at the start of the project, when the regime press-ganged teenage schoolkids into 'shock brigades' of builders. Pyongyang propaganda bragged that these youths were building the resort's hotels at the rate of a storey per day in a December 2019 report. But by then two deadlines to finish the job had already passed, and with a third looming, builders were made to work almost round the clock in icy temperatures. Read more on North Korea COSTA DEL KIM First tourists visit North Korea's 'Benidorm' where 'minders' follow visitors Party chiefs mobilised workers 'in the bitter cold of January, February, and March, allowing them to sleep for only three hours a day,' a source told the Daily NK newspaper. And though the regime called the youths 'volunteers', really they had no real choice. People are forced into 'shock brigades' with the threat of arrest and detention in labour camps, according to a UN report about forced labour in North Korea. Recruits get a monthly wage that is 'only enough to buy two packs of cigarettes', the report added, and are fed so little that malnutrition is widespread. Workers at Wonsan lived off 'foul-smelling seaweed soup, salted radishes and yellow corn rice,' according to Daily NK. Female workers faced an added peril. First tourists visit North Korea's ghostly 'Benidorm' resort where 'minders' follow visitors & phones are 'bugged' One woman quoted by the UN recalled how shock brigade chiefs 'harassed' them and said 'many women were sexually abused'. North Korea expert Michael Madden described the backbreaking toil faced by 'volunteers' at Wonsan. He said: 'Youth Shock Brigades would be involved in digging foundations, framing, painting, paving, and moving materials and supplies. 'Pay for brigade members is minimal. 'In the past, the brigade members were not provided adequate food supplies and stole from local populations.' Today the resort welcomes Russian visitors and members of the North Korean elite. But guests may be surprised to learn that they're not the first to stay in the brand-new hotels. When the third deadline for finishing the resort passed in April 2020, the site lay almost abandoned for months as Covid-19 spread around the world. 12 The sea did not look particularly inviting for the first batch of visitors Credit: AFP 12 Kim shows his daughter Kim Ju Ae around the inside of one of the hotels Credit: Reuters 12 Kim waved to adoring fans at an opening ceremony at the end of June Credit: AFP Soon reports emerged that homeless wanderers – known as kkotjebi in North Korea – had moved in to the skeletal hotels. 'The buildings are no different from toilets, with bowel movements left behind by the kkotjebi everywhere,' a source told Daily NK. 'Now they're full of human waste and soot from fires.' The same report also revealed that the resort's planning chief and site manager had been sacked in 2019 amid mounting delays. It's a punishment with potentially fatal consequences. Mr Madden, the founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, and a fellow of the Stimson Center in Washington DC, said nothing had been heard of either of them since. If they were blamed for inefficiencies or incompetence, he said, they probably faced demotion, intensive indoctrination, and a manual labour assignment. 'On the other hand if there was malfeasance or some type of corruption, then both of these people have, at the least, faced a lengthy incarceration,' he continued. 'If these individuals had a habit of corrupt activities on Wonsan-Kalma and any previous projects, then one or both project managers faced the firing squad.' 12 Kim Jong Un opens Wonsan-Kalma pet project beach resort Credit: East2West 12 Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae inspecting a hotel during a visit to the resort Credit: AFP 12 Before it was a holiday destination, Wonsan was a missile launch site. Indeed the rockets continued blasting off even as the hotels took shape. And ultimately, that's how money spent by tourists will be used. Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, warned holidaymakers not to fund Kim's 'tools of death'. He said: 'The money coming from tourists, mostly Russians at the moment, will go to the areas that the regime regards as critical to its survival. 'These are: keeping the Kim family rich, and the key elites happy, as well as developing nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and other tools of death.' The North Korean tourism push, which seeks to raise foreign currency, has also seen the regime open the Masikryong Ski Resort, and Yangdok hot springs resort. 12 A North Korean man makes the most of the water park at Wonsan after it opened Credit: AFP 12 The resort can accommodate up to 20,000 people, according to reports Credit: East2West
The Irish Sun
18-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
North Korea's new ‘Benidorm' resort mysteriously BANS foreign tourists days after opening – following years of delays
NORTH Korea has mysteriously banned foreign tourists from its shiny new seaside resort just days after opening - following years of hype and farcical 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
Scottish Sun
26-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Watch Kim Jong-un take in the fun at North Korea's ‘Benidorm' to FINALLY open next week… & Brits have signed up to visit
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WATCH as Kim Jong Un surveys the "North Korean Benidorm" which will finally welcome guests next week after the dictator personally oversaw the mega tourism project. Hundreds of Brits have already signed up to visit the artificial resort - eager for a glimpse of life inside the Hermit Kingdom - and Kim has now cut the ribbon. 11 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to an adoring crowd at the opening ceremony of the Wonsan-Kalma resort Credit: Reuters 11 Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae visit a water park area during the opening ceremony Credit: Reuters 11 Kim surveys the beach during his visit Credit: Reuters 11 Kim and his daughter watch a volunteer catapulted into a pool from a waterslide Credit: Reuters The first guests will finally be welcomed to the Wonsan-Kalma resort next week after years of blundering delays. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toured the site and made a grand speech at a ceremony on Tuesday. Footage shows him beaming in front of jack-rabbiting crowds and taking a seat to watch "volunteers" fly down waterslides. Kim declared that the completed project would go down as 'one of the greatest successes this year' and hailed the site as 'the proud first step' towards a thriving tourism industry. read more in world news SOS PLEA Moment missing Brit castaway waves desperately at passing ship after 5 days at sea The only hitch is that very few foreigners are actually allowed into North Korea. Foreign visitors are almost exclusively Russian, reflecting Kim's bromance with Vladimir Putin. After a total shutdown during the pandemic, Pyongyang opened the border to Russian tourists in February 2024. Before Covid, Chinese group tours made up 90 percent of North Korea's overseas tourism, but that inflow is still being heavily limited. Wonsan-Kalma, built at a former missile base, is modelled on Spain's Costa Blanca. Kim event sent a party of stooges there in 2017 to take notes. Kim's sunken warship salvaged after humiliating launch & NK despot's raging reaction Work kept stalling and the site was even overrun by homeless wanderers - known as "kotjebi" in North Korea - who filled the empty hotels with faeces. But Kim plodded on with the project, and visited one numerous occasions to monitor progress. He was pictured strolling along the beach with his daughter Ju-ae at the end of last year. When word spread that the resort was almost ready, holiday planners On The Beach opened a link for people to express their interest - and it racked up more than 250 sign-ups from Brits within a month. This is despite a terrifying warning that a trip to the dictatorship could cost holidaymakers their lives. 11 A mock-up of Kim on Spain's Costa Blanca 11 The resort is an enormous beach-front development Credit: Pen News 11 The hotels were spick-and-span ready for his tour Credit: Reuters 11 Campaigners have warned that nobody's safety is assured in Kim's kingdom. Greg Scarlatoiu, director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said a trip there would be unsafe and immoral. He said: 'The Wonsan-Kalma resort was built with forced labour. Vacationing there is morally and ethically wrong – it is truly an abomination. '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. 11 Kim cuts the ribbon at the resort Credit: Reuters 11 The pair enjoyed some refreshments at the resort Credit: Reuters
