North Korea has opened its ghostly new beach resort to the first batch of foreign tourists, but visitors report being followed everywhere by government minders and having their phones monitored in what appears to be the world’s most surveilled holiday destination.
The newly built Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, dubbed Kim Jong Un’s answer to Benidorm, welcomed its inaugural group of Russian holidaymakers earlier this month to a sprawling artificial beach complex built on a former missile testing site.
Constant Surveillance
Russian blogger Daria Zubkova, a veterinary therapist who was among the first 13 tourists to experience the resort, described an unprecedented level of monitoring that extended even to sunbathing on the beach.
“You are accompanied everywhere… even on the beach someone walked with us,” Zubkova reported. The minders “argue that they worry about us getting lost or something else,” she added, describing the surveillance as “sweet concern” rather than overtly ominous snooping.
“They are walking [with you]. If you want, they chat with you, if not they just walk behind you,” the blogger explained, noting that whilst the constant presence was unsettling, the tourists had “nothing to say that would make someone scold us for it.”
Digital Monitoring and Communication Costs
The resort’s surveillance extends beyond physical monitoring to digital communications. Tourists were warned that their phones were likely bugged and charged £1.65 per email to send messages through the hotel’s monitored system.
“What many people are afraid of… is some kind of wiretapping everywhere and so on. Most likely, I think that there is probably all of this, but we just weren’t afraid,” Zubkova admitted.
The tour company made clear that secret police would monitor all correspondence: “Please note that the email will be sent from the hotel’s email box, not yours. Therefore, to make it easier to find a reply addressed to you, we recommend that you include your room number in the subject line.”
Journey to the “Hermit Kingdom”
The Russian tourists’ journey to the resort highlighted North Korea’s unpredictable nature and infrastructure challenges. After flying from Vladivostok to Pyongyang, their planned connecting flight to Wonsan was suddenly cancelled without explanation, forcing the group onto a specially chartered train.
“An entire train for just 13 people is simply unthinkable,” Zubkova marvelled. “It was new, very comfortable, with air conditioning.”
The train journey provided glimpses of North Korean rural life. “I saw villages [from the windows of the train]… people are working in the fields, not very rich people,” she observed, adding that “every bit of land has something on it.”
Fellow tourist Lyudmila said: “I was even interested in riding the train, because for the first time I saw that the mountains they paint in their pictures really exist. It is also very interesting to see the country from the train.”
Accommodation Challenges
Upon arrival in Wonsan, the tourists encountered further complications when their designated hotel was fully booked with officials and journalists accompanying Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was visiting the area for diplomatic talks with Kim Jong Un.
The group was subsequently moved to inferior accommodation, highlighting the resort’s dual role as both tourist destination and diplomatic venue.
The Resort Experience
Despite the surveillance concerns, tourists reported positive aspects of their stay at the £1,360 per person resort. The complex, which can accommodate up to 20,000 guests, features artificial white sand beaches, water parks, jet-skis, and various amenities.
“There were a lot of types of meat, duck, rabbit, different types of fish. They really tried to please us,” Zubkova noted, though tourists were advised to bring their own tea, coffee, and sugar as “fruits are not served.”
Tourist Pavla Gambal praised the basic facilities: “We like everything. The sea is warm, the beach is clean, they keep order.”
Kim Jong Un’s Tourism Vision
The Wonsan-Kalma resort represents Kim Jong Un’s ambitious plan to develop North Korea’s tourism industry as a source of foreign currency amid international sanctions. The dictator has described the project as “one of the greatest successes this year” and “the proud first step” in tourism development.
The 4-kilometre stretch of coastline features high-rise hotels, restaurants, shopping centres, and recreational facilities that Kim hopes will attract visitors from Russia and eventually China.
Sudden Tourism Ban
However, the resort’s international tourism plans suffered a significant setback when North Korea abruptly banned foreign tourists from the complex just weeks after its opening. The country’s National Tourism Administration announced on Friday that the Wonsan-Kalma tourist complex is “temporarily not receiving foreign tourists,” without providing reasons or a timeline for the ban’s duration.
The suspension came immediately after Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit, during which he praised the resort as a “good tourist attraction” and promised to help increase Russian tourist flows to the isolated country.
Economic Pressures
Experts warn that the tourism ban threatens the economic viability of what was likely a hugely expensive project for North Korea’s sanctions-hit economy.
“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.
Analyst Lee Sangkeun suggested the ban might reflect difficulties in recruiting Russian tourists, many of whom would consider North Korea too distant and expensive for a holiday destination.
Limited Tourism Recovery
The Wonsan-Kalma experience highlights North Korea’s cautious approach to reopening international tourism after COVID-19 border closures. Fewer than 900 Russians travelled to North Korea for leisure in 2024, according to customs data, compared to hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists who once visited annually.
The resort’s troubled launch contrasts sharply with Kim’s grand ambitions to transform Wonsan into a major tourist destination. The area, which holds personal significance for Kim as his childhood home, has been earmarked for extensive development including ski resorts and cultural attractions.
Strategic Location and Military Significance
The resort’s location on North Korea’s eastern coast carries both symbolic and strategic importance. Built on land that previously served as a missile testing site, the complex sits near military facilities and villas used by the country’s elite.
North Korea tested missiles in Wonsan as recently as May 2025, underscoring the area’s continued military significance even as it transitions to tourism use.
International Implications
The resort’s opening and subsequent closure reflect broader geopolitical dynamics, particularly North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia amid the Ukraine conflict. The timing of the tourism ban, coinciding with Lavrov’s diplomatic visit, suggests internal tensions over balancing economic development with security concerns.
Russian tour operators had been actively marketing beach holiday packages starting at £1,360 per person, with strict requirements including payment in new US banknotes and compliance with extensive restrictions on photography and movement.
Future Prospects
Despite the current ban, analysts expect North Korea will eventually reopen the resort to foreign tourists, driven by economic necessity. The massive investment in the complex, featuring 400 buildings and extensive infrastructure, makes continued closure economically unsustainable.
North Korea has put in too much money on tourism and plans to spend more. Subsequently, to get its money’s worth, North Korea can’t help receiving Chinese tourists,” noted Lee Sangkeun.
The Wonsan-Kalma experience offers a unique glimpse into North Korea’s attempts to balance its desire for foreign currency with its authoritarian control systems. For the handful of tourists who experienced Kim Jong Un’s “Benidorm,” the holiday represented an extraordinary journey into one of the world’s most closed societies – complete with constant supervision, digital monitoring, and the ever-present reminder that even on vacation, Big Brother is watching.
The resort’s future success will ultimately depend on North Korea’s ability to reconcile its tourism ambitions with the security paranoia that defines the hermit kingdom’s approach to foreign visitors.
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Image Credit:
Beach near Lake Sijung, North Korea – Photo by stngiam, originally published on Panoramio, licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
