North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a major tourist site under construction on the country’s east coast and discussed steps to open up the area by next year, state media said.
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By Kim Hyun-jin The Associated Press
July 18, 2024 3:41 AM
• 2 min read
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a major tourist site under construction on the country’s east coast and discussed steps to open it up by next year, state media reported Thursday, even though the country still bans visits from most foreign tourists.
The Wonsan-Kalma area is one of Kim Jong Un’s most talked-about tourism projects. North Korea has long been building luxury hotels and entertainment facilities there as a key attraction for international tourists. But the project has reportedly been delayed by a shortage of construction materials due to tougher UN sanctions and COVID-19 restrictions.
Kim Jong Un inspected the Wonsan-Kalma area with top officials on Tuesday and discussed preparations for the facility’s opening by May 2025, as decided at a ruling party meeting in January, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
“A coastal wonderland will be built that will be known around the world as (North Korea’s) top tourist destination,” the Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying. The agency quoted Kim as saying construction was in the final stages.
North Korea has been gradually easing strict pandemic-era restrictions and travel restrictions as part of its economic recovery, but has still not reopened its borders to foreign tourists, except for a relatively small number of Russians who visited North Korea earlier this year as ties between the two countries boomed.
The return of Chinese tourists is likely to be a bigger source of revenue, as they made up about 90% of foreign tourists who visited North Korea before the pandemic. A record 300,000 foreign tourists visited North Korea in 2019, bringing in between $90 million and $150 million in revenue for the country, experts say.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced on Wednesday that its director-general visited North Korea from July 13-16, the first such visit by a UN leader since 2019. Director-General Qu Dong-ok said the visit was aimed at strengthening cooperation with North Korea and addressing the country’s food security and nutrition challenges.
It was not immediately clear when North Korea would allow international staff from UN agencies to return home, as its strict pandemic measures also include barring diplomats and other foreign nationals from the country.
