Latest news with #Wonsan
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
South Korea looks into ways to improve relations with Kim Jong Un's North
South Korea is actively exploring options to enhance its relationship with North Korea, a Unification Ministry spokesperson confirmed on Monday. This comes amid reports that Seoul is contemplating allowing individual tours to the North. Koo Byung-sam, the ministry's spokesperson for inter-Korea affairs, refrained from commenting on the "particular issue" directly. However, Mr Koo clarified his understanding that individual tours would not breach international sanctions. Tourism is one of a narrow range of cash sources for North Korea that are not targeted under United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programs. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to improve strained relations with Pyongyang that have reached their worst level in years. In a bid to ease tensions, Lee suspended anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and ordered a halt to leaflet campaigns criticising the North's leaders by anti-Pyongyang activists. The president has said he will discuss further plans with top security officials to resume dialogue with North Korea that is technically at war with the South. North Korea recently opened a beach resort in the city of Wonsan, a flagship project driven by leader Kim Jong Un to promote tourism. But, the tourist area is temporarily not accepting foreign visitors, according to a July 16 note by DPR Korea Tour, a website operated by North Korea's National Tourism Administration. North Korea first needs to open the area to the outside world, the Unification Ministry spokesperson said, asked if South Koreans could travel to Wonsan. South Korea once ran tours to North Korea's Mount Kumgang area, but suspended them in 2008, when a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
North Korea performs U-turn on new seaside resort
North Korea has abruptly halted foreign access to its newly opened Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area, just weeks after promoting it as a "world-class" destination. The decision follows a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who praised the resort, and comes as Russian tourists had begun visiting the site. Despite being celebrated by Kim Jong Un as a "greatest success", North Korea's official tourism site announced foreign visitors are "temporarily not accepted" without providing a reason. The resort, which opened on 24 June after years of delays due to international sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic, was intended to be a crucial source of income. Analysts speculate the ban may be temporary, suggesting the resort might still be undergoing final development or that authorities have concerns about opening it to foreigners.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
North Korea bans foreign tourists to newly opened beach resort
North Korea is banning the entry of foreign tourists to a recently opened mega-beach resort. It is a move that dims prospects for the complex that leader Kim Jong Un hailed as "one of the greatest successes this year". DPR Korea Tour, a website run by North Korea's tourism authority, said in a notice on Friday that the eastern coastal Wonsan-Kalma tourist complex "is temporarily not receiving foreign tourists". It gave no further details, including why a ban was established or how long it would last. North Korea said the complex could accommodate nearly 20,000 guests. The resort opened to domestic tourists on July 1 before receiving a small group of Russian tourists last week. Observers expected North Korea to open the resort to Chinese tourists while largely blocking other international tourists. The announcement came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov flew to the complex to meet Mr Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui for talks last weekend. North Korea and Russia have sharply expanded military and other cooperation in recent years, with North Korea supplying weapons and troops to back Russia's war against Ukraine. During a meeting with Mr Choe, Mr Lavrov promised to take steps to support Russian travel to the zone. "I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here," he said But experts said North Korea likely decided to halt foreign tourist visits to the zone because of a newspaper article by a Russian reporter who travelled with Mr Lavrov that implied North Koreans at the zone appeared to be mobilised by authorities and not real tourists. "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, an analyst at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification. Mr Oh said the ban would include Russians, but the North Korea-focused NK News website, citing tour groups specialising in North Korea trips, said Russians won't likely be targeted. Analyst Lee Sangkeun of Seoul's Institute for National Security Strategy said the ban could be associated with difficulties in recruiting Russian tourists because many would consider North Korea too far away and the trip too expensive. Experts say North Korea must open the Wonsan-Kalma zone, the country's biggest tourist complex, to Russian and Chinese tourists, given what was likely a huge construction and operational expenditure from the country's tight budget. "If foreign tourists aren't allowed to the site, no Russian rubles, Chinese yuans and dollars won't 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 think tank in Seoul. Mr Kim has said the site would be "one of the greatest successes this year" and "the proud first step" in tourism development. North Korea's state media reports the Wonsan-Kalma site has been crowded with local tourists. The first group of 15 Russian tourists arrived in the resort on July 11 after visiting Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, NK News reported earlier this week. "It was magnificent. Everything is new, clean and stunning," Russian tourist Nina Svirida said in the report. North Korea has been slowly easing the curbs imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopening its borders in phases. But the country hasn't said if it would fully resume international tourism. Chinese group tours, which made up more than 90 per cent of visitors before the pandemic, remain stalled. In February, North Korea allowed a small group of international tourists to visit the north-eastern city of Rason, only to stop the program after less than a month. AP
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening
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.
The Sun
18-07-2025
- The 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", Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone was supposed to spearhead Kim Jong-un's drive to boost international tourism - but the fun is over already. 13 13 13 The Costa del Sol-inspired resort - complete with beaches, waterparks and a strip - had been promoted to international tourism markets. Wonsan threw open its doors to much fanfare on July 1, with footage showing Kim beaming in front of jack-rabbiting crowds and sitting back watch "volunteers" fly down waterslides. 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. 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. The chance of other international travellers being permitted a peak behind the curtain is looking evermore remote. Hundreds of Brits put their name down when a travel firm, On The Beach, set up a page for people to express their interest in visiting Wonsan. 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. 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 13 13 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 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. 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 North Korea - who filled the empty hotels with faeces. 13 13 13 If overseas visitors are ever allowed in, campaigners have warned that nobody's safety is assured. 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. 13 13
