Society
North Korea’s New Beach Resort Officially Opens to Russian Tourists
July 23, 2025
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Valentina Shvartsman
Journalist
RBC journalist Valentina Shvartsman reports on her visit to the Wonsan Kalma tourist zone, which was recently visited by the first group of Russian tourists and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The original text in Russian was published on RBC and is being republished here with the author’s permission. The photographs were taken by the author.
At end-June, Kim Jong Un, together with his wife and daughter, ceremoniously opened a new “world-class” resort area near the city of Wonsan, located on the Sea of Japan. To handle tourists, a military airfield was converted into a civilian airport with a duty-free store and a café. Yet nearby there still sits a missile testing site from which North Korea regularly launches ballistic missiles (the last was recorded in May).
A resort for Russians on the North Korean coast
The Wonsan Kalma resort stretches along nearly 5 kilometers of sandy coastline on the Kalma Peninsula. Its construction began in 2018, when an ambitious goal of attracting up to a million foreign tourists annually was declared, but so far only Russians are allowed to come.
“I was hoping this might signal a broader reopening to international tourism, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case for now,” Rowan Beard, cofounder of Young Pioneer Tours, told the BBC. His company organized tours to North Korea for Western tourists before the pandemic.
According to Western media, Kim Jong Un spent his childhood in Wonsan, though the North Korean government has not officially confirmed this. Speaking at the opening of the resort, the leader noted that more tourism will give a boost both to the region’s development and to the whole country’s economy: foreign visitors to Wonsan Kalma will be an additional source of hard currency for the state amid tough international sanctions.
On July 11-13, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Wonsan Kalma. He told Kim that following the recommendation of the Russian ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, who had been present at the opening ceremony of the tourist zone, he could not resist the offer to visit it.
Lavrov suggested that tours to Wonsan Kalma would find demand among residents of Russia’s Far East and the relevant government agencies would start to work on setting up direct air and ferry connections with Wonsan. “Our North Korean friends have expressed interest in having more Russians at the wonderful resort of Wonsan and other resorts in North Korea,” the foreign minister told the Russian reporters accompanying him.
According to a map of the resort made for tourists, foreign guests have their pick of six European-style, luxury hotels (judging by the map, the number is set to rise to 17 in the future), as well as 37 yeogwan hotels (roughly equivalent to a three-star accommodation).
A resort for Russians on the North Korean coast
The Wonsan Kalma resort stretches along nearly 5 kilometers of sandy coastline on the Kalma Peninsula. Its construction began in 2018, when an ambitious goal of attracting up to a million foreign tourists annually was declared, but so far only Russians are allowed to come.
“I was hoping this might signal a broader reopening to international tourism, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case for now,” Rowan Beard, cofounder of Young Pioneer Tours, told the BBC. His company organized tours to North Korea for Western tourists before the pandemic.
According to Western media, Kim Jong Un spent his childhood in Wonsan, though the North Korean government has not officially confirmed this. Speaking at the opening of the resort, the leader noted that more tourism will give a boost both to the region’s development and to the whole country’s economy: foreign visitors to Wonsan Kalma will be an additional source of hard currency for the state amid tough international sanctions.
On July 11-13, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Wonsan Kalma. He told Kim that following the recommendation of the Russian ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, who had been present at the opening ceremony of the tourist zone, he could not resist the offer to visit it.
Lavrov suggested that tours to Wonsan Kalma would find demand among residents of Russia’s Far East and the relevant government agencies would start to work on setting up direct air and ferry connections with Wonsan. “Our North Korean friends have expressed interest in having more Russians at the wonderful resort of Wonsan and other resorts in North Korea,” the foreign minister told the Russian reporters accompanying him.
According to a map of the resort made for tourists, foreign guests have their pick of six European-style, luxury hotels (judging by the map, the number is set to rise to 17 in the future), as well as 37 yeogwan hotels (roughly equivalent to a three-star accommodation).
“Also, the map suggests that it is possible to rent apartments in the resort area and that there is a lakeside campsite, but RBC was unable to confirm whether tourists are allowed there yet.”
The Korean Central News Agency claims the resort can accommodate approximately 20,000 vacationers at a time. The sandy beaches are already equipped with sun loungers, changing rooms and storage lockers.
The resort, judging by the map, features several cafés, a pharmacy, a water park, an amusement park, a mini-golf course, a cinema, a parachute school and a video game center. Our schedule did not allow us to check this, but a couple establishments near the hotels where the Russian delegation was accommodated showed signs of life, and a tourist tram ran along the coast from time to time.
The first group of Russian tourists arrives
The first group of Russian tourists at Wonsan Kalma, 13 people, came during Lavrov’s visit. Their beach vacation had almost been derailed, they told RBC. On the second evening in Pyongyang, which is a must-see in all tours of North Korea, the Russian-speaking guides who were constantly accompanying them announced that the flight to Wonsan, where the group was supposed to spend three days, had been cancelled, but other excursions would be offered instead.
This caused disappointment, but soon the guides returned with good news: a special train to Wonsan would be organized for the group. The bus took them right up to the train platform. “An entire train for 13 people is just unheard of! It was new, very comfortable, with air conditioning,” Daria from Moscow and Anastasia from St Petersburg told RBC. The ride to the resort took about 10 hours.
Lyudmila from Vladivostok took the change in plans of the week-long tour as a pleasant bonus: “I was actually interested in taking the train – for the first time I saw that the mountains they paint in their pictures really exist.” “Of course, we would not have seen all this on the plane: bright green rice fields, blue skies and clean rivers. Lots of impressions!” Oleg echoed her.
But there was another hitch: instead of the promised Chammae Hotel, the tourists were accommodated in another one, since Chammae was being used to house the reporters accompanying Lavrov and the crew of his plane.
The tourists were promised compensation for the difference in cost.
They found out about Wonsan Kalma in different ways: Lyudmila saw an ad on TV, while Anastasia and Daria were inspired by videos of bloggers who had visited North Korea. The beach exceeded her expectations, says Anastasia. “We were lucky to be the first to do the beach tour. We have been to many places; we went to Bali three months ago. But this is pure relaxation,” Daria gushed.
Every Russian praised the friendliness and hospitality of the Koreans. “I have never seen anything like this anywhere else. You say you want music, and they bring you a speaker right then. Breakfast, lunch, dinner – everyone asks [you]. We said we needed a teapot for tea – we came the next time, and it was already on the table,” Daria told RBC. The group eventually returned to Pyongyang by train before flying to Vladivostok, where the tour started and finished.
Several Russian companies offer week-long tours to North Korea in July-August with three nights in Wonsan. The average price: $1,700 per person.
The resort, judging by the map, features several cafés, a pharmacy, a water park, an amusement park, a mini-golf course, a cinema, a parachute school and a video game center. Our schedule did not allow us to check this, but a couple establishments near the hotels where the Russian delegation was accommodated showed signs of life, and a tourist tram ran along the coast from time to time.
The first group of Russian tourists arrives
The first group of Russian tourists at Wonsan Kalma, 13 people, came during Lavrov’s visit. Their beach vacation had almost been derailed, they told RBC. On the second evening in Pyongyang, which is a must-see in all tours of North Korea, the Russian-speaking guides who were constantly accompanying them announced that the flight to Wonsan, where the group was supposed to spend three days, had been cancelled, but other excursions would be offered instead.
This caused disappointment, but soon the guides returned with good news: a special train to Wonsan would be organized for the group. The bus took them right up to the train platform. “An entire train for 13 people is just unheard of! It was new, very comfortable, with air conditioning,” Daria from Moscow and Anastasia from St Petersburg told RBC. The ride to the resort took about 10 hours.
Lyudmila from Vladivostok took the change in plans of the week-long tour as a pleasant bonus: “I was actually interested in taking the train – for the first time I saw that the mountains they paint in their pictures really exist.” “Of course, we would not have seen all this on the plane: bright green rice fields, blue skies and clean rivers. Lots of impressions!” Oleg echoed her.
But there was another hitch: instead of the promised Chammae Hotel, the tourists were accommodated in another one, since Chammae was being used to house the reporters accompanying Lavrov and the crew of his plane.
The tourists were promised compensation for the difference in cost.
They found out about Wonsan Kalma in different ways: Lyudmila saw an ad on TV, while Anastasia and Daria were inspired by videos of bloggers who had visited North Korea. The beach exceeded her expectations, says Anastasia. “We were lucky to be the first to do the beach tour. We have been to many places; we went to Bali three months ago. But this is pure relaxation,” Daria gushed.
Every Russian praised the friendliness and hospitality of the Koreans. “I have never seen anything like this anywhere else. You say you want music, and they bring you a speaker right then. Breakfast, lunch, dinner – everyone asks [you]. We said we needed a teapot for tea – we came the next time, and it was already on the table,” Daria told RBC. The group eventually returned to Pyongyang by train before flying to Vladivostok, where the tour started and finished.
Several Russian companies offer week-long tours to North Korea in July-August with three nights in Wonsan. The average price: $1,700 per person.
How the Koreans prepared for their Russian guests
Before Lavrov’s arrival, Wonsan Kalma was empty, the Russian tourists told RBC – there was no one on the entire vast territory of the resort except for their group, two guides and service personnel. Immediately after Lavrov’s plane landed, however, the resort seemed to come alive. At about 8:30, crowds of “locals” dressed in shorts, t-shirts with the words “Korea/Pyongyang” and the North Korean flag, and Panama hats, carrying sun umbrellas, streamed onto the coast.
Despite the scorching heat, they sashayed along the beach, and when they saw Russian reporters, they took out their smartphones and took group photos against the backdrop of the new hotels, dancing fountains and playgrounds. The children had inflatable tubes but did not go in the water.
Some of the “vacationers,” as it turned out, spoke Russian. When an RBC correspondent greeted a Russian TV crew returning from the beach, a Korean passing by thought it was addressed to him and exclaimed “privet!”
Before Lavrov’s arrival, Wonsan Kalma was empty, the Russian tourists told RBC – there was no one on the entire vast territory of the resort except for their group, two guides and service personnel. Immediately after Lavrov’s plane landed, however, the resort seemed to come alive. At about 8:30, crowds of “locals” dressed in shorts, t-shirts with the words “Korea/Pyongyang” and the North Korean flag, and Panama hats, carrying sun umbrellas, streamed onto the coast.
Despite the scorching heat, they sashayed along the beach, and when they saw Russian reporters, they took out their smartphones and took group photos against the backdrop of the new hotels, dancing fountains and playgrounds. The children had inflatable tubes but did not go in the water.
Some of the “vacationers,” as it turned out, spoke Russian. When an RBC correspondent greeted a Russian TV crew returning from the beach, a Korean passing by thought it was addressed to him and exclaimed “privet!”
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Chammae Hotel, one could see a girl in a white t-shirt with the North Korean flag and a man in a black suit playing billiards at all hours. They stood by the table into the wee hours, when the Russian reporters were coming back from a late dinner, and then at eight in the morning the next day. As soon as the reporters disappeared, the clatter of billiard balls died down.
At the Kalmaegi Hotel, where the Russia-North Korea talks, between the foreign ministers, were taking place, Lavrov was met by a group of “locals” in white dress shirts and elegant dresses. A girl in a traditional snow-white hanbok presented him with a bouquet of flowers.
At the Kalmaegi Hotel, where the Russia-North Korea talks, between the foreign ministers, were taking place, Lavrov was met by a group of “locals” in white dress shirts and elegant dresses. A girl in a traditional snow-white hanbok presented him with a bouquet of flowers.
“Half an hour after the talks began, the same people walked past the reporters waiting in the lobby – but now dressed as tourists.”
Access to the city of Wonsan is restricted for foreigners. It was possible to see it only through the window of a bus carrying the foreign minister’s press pool to a wreath-laying ceremony at a monument to Soviet soldiers. The bus and a Toyota police car escorting it were, it seemed, the only cars in the entire city. The streets and bus stops were relatively lively, bicycles rode along the sidewalks and young pioneers in full uniform were lined up at a school. Traffic controllers in white uniforms stood at intersections.
Residential buildings in Wonsan are concrete panel structures, five to eleven stories high. Despite their tired appearance, you could see they are regularly painted. The balconies are not closed, but some apartments have air-conditioning units. On the ground floor are shops, pharmacies, eateries and phone stores. There is no advertising on the streets, but propaganda banners and signs are everywhere. Administrative buildings are decorated with portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
How much food, alcohol and internet cost in Wonsan
The Chammae Hotel had two shops selling beachwear, souvenirs, cigars and ginseng-infused alcoholic and cosmetic products made in Kaesong (home from 2002 to 2016 to a joint industrial park with South Korea, closed after a North Korean missile test).
Bracelets with a built-in chip are used to pay for purchases. Funds are debited from the wearer’s account, which is funded in new-style US dollars at reception. The unspent balance can be subtracted from the cost of accommodation upon check-out.
Residential buildings in Wonsan are concrete panel structures, five to eleven stories high. Despite their tired appearance, you could see they are regularly painted. The balconies are not closed, but some apartments have air-conditioning units. On the ground floor are shops, pharmacies, eateries and phone stores. There is no advertising on the streets, but propaganda banners and signs are everywhere. Administrative buildings are decorated with portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
How much food, alcohol and internet cost in Wonsan
The Chammae Hotel had two shops selling beachwear, souvenirs, cigars and ginseng-infused alcoholic and cosmetic products made in Kaesong (home from 2002 to 2016 to a joint industrial park with South Korea, closed after a North Korean missile test).
Bracelets with a built-in chip are used to pay for purchases. Funds are debited from the wearer’s account, which is funded in new-style US dollars at reception. The unspent balance can be subtracted from the cost of accommodation upon check-out.
“It is not possible to take as a souvenir local currency, even a banknote of the smallest denomination.”
The most expensive local alcohol, 10-year Kaesong Koryo Insam XO distillate, is priced at $48.00 in the hotel stores; 60-proof homemade liquor with ginseng and snake at $25.60; and soju at $10.90-16.00. A bottle of local Taedonggang beer costs $2.00. Imported alcohol includes Camus VSOP ($115.20), Martell Noblige ($150.40), Glen Michel ($176.00) and Johnnie Walker Gold Label ($123.20). Japanese soft drinks and chocolate were also on the shelves. Cosmetic sets start at $20, with the most expensive – a six-piece, leather-cased set by Kumgangsan – priced at $585.
The duty-free store in Kalma Airport also offered elite imported alcohol: Hennessy XO ($158 a bottle), Rémy Martin Reserve Cellar ($394), Camus Extra in souvenir packaging ($490) and 30-year Ballantine’s ($537). Vodka was in a separate display case: Russian Standard Gold ($18), Russian Standard Original ($20), Finlandia ($20) and Parliament ($14).
Recall that the import of luxury goods to North Korea remains sanctioned by the UN Security Council.
Meals at the hotel cost $10 each. Breakfast is buffet-style but served by waitresses; dinner is a multi-course meal, with appetizers including kimchi, lightly salted fish and tteok rice cakes; soup; and three main courses.
On the first evening, the press pool was offered beef shashlik, battered fish and crab gratin; on the second evening, sushi, fish steak and pork medallions. The menu was also available in Russian, though some items sounded mysterious – for example, “lenok fries with fruit,” which proved to be breaded Amur whitefish garnished with tangerines.
Russian telecom operators do not offer roaming in North Korea, but members of the Russian delegation received individual wi-fi login information. For the reporters, a 10-minute internet session cost $1.70, even if the whole time was not used. Facebook and Instagram are blocked in North Korea, but WhatsApp, Telegram and Google search worked without restrictions. However, there were problems when logging into VK: the reporters got notifications, but they could not access the app.
The duty-free store in Kalma Airport also offered elite imported alcohol: Hennessy XO ($158 a bottle), Rémy Martin Reserve Cellar ($394), Camus Extra in souvenir packaging ($490) and 30-year Ballantine’s ($537). Vodka was in a separate display case: Russian Standard Gold ($18), Russian Standard Original ($20), Finlandia ($20) and Parliament ($14).
Recall that the import of luxury goods to North Korea remains sanctioned by the UN Security Council.
Meals at the hotel cost $10 each. Breakfast is buffet-style but served by waitresses; dinner is a multi-course meal, with appetizers including kimchi, lightly salted fish and tteok rice cakes; soup; and three main courses.
On the first evening, the press pool was offered beef shashlik, battered fish and crab gratin; on the second evening, sushi, fish steak and pork medallions. The menu was also available in Russian, though some items sounded mysterious – for example, “lenok fries with fruit,” which proved to be breaded Amur whitefish garnished with tangerines.
Russian telecom operators do not offer roaming in North Korea, but members of the Russian delegation received individual wi-fi login information. For the reporters, a 10-minute internet session cost $1.70, even if the whole time was not used. Facebook and Instagram are blocked in North Korea, but WhatsApp, Telegram and Google search worked without restrictions. However, there were problems when logging into VK: the reporters got notifications, but they could not access the app.
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