Seoul, North Korea (AP) – North Koreans swim, ride horses and enjoy other water activities at the newly opened Mammoth Beach Resort, state media reported on Wednesday.
North Korea says the Wonsan-Kalma East Coast tourist area, which can accommodate nearly 20,000 people, is at the heart of leader Kim Jong Un's efforts to promote tourism, a way to improve the economy of its country's struggling. But the prospect of the resort is North Korea’s largest tourist complex, not clear, as the country is unlikely to reopen its borders completely and embrace Western tourists soon, observers said.
South Korea's official Central News Agency reported that the Wansang-Kalma area began service on Tuesday, attracting many North Koreans who like to open water swimming, slides and other attractions at a water park and a variety of water activities in the area.
“The hearts of guests are filled with overwhelming emotions because they feel that in the Workers’ era, the new heights of our style of tourism culture are surprising,” Kkarna said in a typical propaganda-driven dispatch.
Photos released by North Korean state media show children with tubes and inflatable balloons dipping into the sea, while others are in colorful swimsuits and sitting under red and white parasols.
King said the website will be recorded as “one of the biggest successes of the year” at the opening ceremony last week and called its opening ceremony “the first step of pride” to achieve the government’s policy to develop the tourism industry. State media said North Korea plans to establish similar tourist areas across the country.
However, North Korea has not said whether and when to fully resume international tourism, which is the key to their success.
Since 2022, North Korea has been slowly eased the curbs imposed during the 19th pandemic and reopening its borders in phases.
But the Chinese group's travel accounts for more than 90% of tourists before the pandemic, and while there are doubts between the two socialist neighbors, it remains stagnant. In February, North Korea allowed a small group of international tourists to visit its northeastern border city, Rason, but blocked the travel plan in less than a month.
Since February 2024, North Korea has been accepting Russian tourists in expanding military cooperation between countries. But the Russian government records seen by South Korean experts show that there were only more than 2,000 Russians last year, with about 880 tourists visiting North Korea, a number that is too small to restore North Korea's tourism industry.
Pridosky region of Russia, which borders North Korea, said last week that the first group of Russian tourists heading to the Wansang-Kalma resort will leave on July 7 for an eight-day trip, including a visit to Pyongyang.
___
Associated Press writer Kim Tong-Hyung contributed to the report.
