North Korea has actually opened a brand-new beach resort aimed at drawing in Russian travelers, South Koreas Unification Ministry said Thursday.The Wonsan Kalma resort, located on the countrys eastern coast near a former missile testing site, is set to open for domestic tourists in July.The new beach resort was originally scheduled to be finished in April 2019 to mark the birthday of North Koreas founder Kim Il Sung, but sanctions-related problems in obtaining building materials and the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the project, the Korean Herald reported.According to the BBC, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un grew up in Wonsan, where a number of the countrys elite live, and has long expressed a desire to establish the region.Spanning a four-kilometer stretch of shoreline, the advancement features hotels, dining establishments, shopping centers and a water park.
Both budget accommodations and VIP cottages are available, alongside hotels using a wide variety of facilities, according to North Korean state media agency KCNA.KCNA reported that the tourist zone is geared up with hotels and inns efficient in accommodating around 20,000 people, enabling domestic and global visitors to select lodgings that match their preferences.At the opening event, Kim hailed the task as a prelude to the new age of North Koreas tourist industry.Russian Ambassador Alexander Matsegora went to the occasion as a visitor of honor.Tour operators cited by the BBC have shown that the resort is expected to cater mostly to Russian tourists.The truth that the Russian ambassador was welcomed and highlighted [in the state media report] Appears to have actually been intended with Russian tourists in mind, the Korean Herald priced quote a confidential Unification Ministry authorities as saying.The opening comes in the middle of a duration of strengthened relations between North Korea and Russia.The two countries resumed cross-border rail service this week, while a Russian airline company asked authorities to introduce a direct air route between Moscow and Pyongyang.Elliott Davis, director of Uri Tours, a personal tour operator that helps Westerners travel to North Korea, informed the BBC that the hermit kingdom holds specific niche appeal for specific tourists.
Its appealing to experience something as familiar as a beach resort thats been formed within the special cultural context of North Korea, he said.