When one thinks of beach getaways, North Korea doesn’t exactly spring to mind. But the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area – a sprawling seaside resort developed under Kim Jong-un’s orders – is a real, if surreal, entry into the global tourism scene.
Positioned on the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula, the resort stretches over several kilometres of beach along the Sea of Japan (or East Sea, depending on one’s politics), and features dozens of pastel-toned buildings, pristine roads, and wide, empty beaches.
Construction began in earnest around 2018 and was intended to showcase the country’s vision of modern leisure. Wonsan, once a key military port and the leader’s holiday destination of choice, was reimagined as a futuristic seaside town – complete with high-rise hotels, boulevards, water parks, and cultural facilities. From the air, the symmetrical layout is striking – almost too perfect – like a Cold War-era dream of a tropical utopia.
A Resort Without Tourists
But beyond the impressive façades lies a resort still waiting for its first true wave of foreign tourists. Global sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic halted much of North Korea’s inbound tourism, while ongoing restrictions and tightly controlled itineraries keep would-be visitors at bay. The result? A ghost town of sun loungers and unused water slides.
That hasn’t stopped Pyongyang from continuing to promote Wonsan as part of its larger tourism ambitions. The state-run Korea International Travel Company has published photos and tours featuring the resort, albeit mostly with domestic travellers. Many of them arrive by plane at the nearby Kalma Airport – itself a curious site with a futuristic design but minimal air traffic.
A Controlled Gateway to the Outside World
The intention behind Wonsan seems clear enough: to rival the likes of Hainan or Busan, while presenting an image of prosperity and progress. For a country often shrouded in secrecy, Wonsan’s openness is unusual – an attempt to create a space where foreigners and locals might mingle, though always under watchful eyes.
It’s also worth noting that Wonsan is part of a broader strategy to revitalise North Korea’s economy through tourism. Other similar projects have been announced, including the Mount Kumgang International Tourist Zone, though progress has been slow.
Can You Visit?
Travellers curious enough to consider visiting will still need to go through a tightly controlled process, often involving guided tours and mandatory pre-approved stops. Independent travel remains impossible, and photography is heavily restricted outside designated areas.
So, is Wonsan worth the visit? For those interested in geopolitics, Cold War architecture, and the surreal experience of leisure under surveillance, it’s undeniably intriguing. But the resort’s future remains uncertain – a gleaming façade of a dream that, for now, remains firmly out of reach.
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