North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un officially inaugurated a new coastal tourism site with a lavish ceremony on Tuesday, though it is not yet open to international visitors.
Kim inspected the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourism area, describing its development as “one of the greatest achievements this year” and “the proud first step” toward a new era for the nation’s tourism sector, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency.
On the country’s east coast, hotels and accommodations have been established for nearly 20,000 guests, where they can enjoy activities such as swimming, sports, recreation, and dining at the resort’s restaurants, according to state media.
The resort, North Korea’s biggest tourist site, will open for domestic tourists next Tuesday, KCNA said, but the report didn’t say when it will start receiving foreign tourists.
The Russian ambassador to North Korea and his embassy staff appeared at Tuesday’s ceremony, according to KCNA, though the report didn’t say whether any Chinese diplomats were also invited.
South Korean and American tourists won’t be as fortunate, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, told The Associated Press.
President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018 during his first term as president. During the first months of his second term, Trump maintained that the U.S. will have relations with North Korea. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Lim said those tours won’t likely restart anytime soon, though both new liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump have expressed hopes to revive dialogue with North Korea.
Kim has been pushing to make the country a tourism hub as part of efforts to revive the ailing economy, with KCNA reporting that North Korea will soon confirm plans to build large tourist sites in other parts of the country.
