Pools And Slides As North Korea Set To Open 'World Class' Tourist Resort
Kim was an enthusiastic visitor this week to the sprawling site on the isolated country's east coast, which is set to open its doors on July 1 to domestic tourists and maybe one day foreign ones.
Analysts have said Kim showed a keen interest in developing North Korea's tourism industry in his early years in power, with the development of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area known to be a key focal point.
The nuclear-armed North reopened its borders in August 2023 after almost four years, having closed them because of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time even its own nationals were prevented from entering.
Foreign tourism was limited though even before the pandemic, with tour companies saying around 5,000 Western tourists visited each year.
Kim on Tuesday attended a lavish inaugural ceremony for the tourist zone, which hosts accommodation for nearly 20,000 people and what Pyongyang claims is "a world-class cultural resort", the Korean Central News Agency said.
Photos released by state media showed him sitting in a chair watching a man flying off a water slide and wearing a suit at the beach.
Wonsan Kalma houses "sea-bathing service facilities, various sports and recreation facilities" and is "equipped with all conditions... for providing the beauty of the scenic spot on the east coast in all seasons", according to KCNA.
Kim, with "great satisfaction", said the construction of the site would go down as "one of the greatest successes this year" and that the North would build more large-scale tourist zones "in the shortest time possible", it added.
Kim was joined by his daughter, Ju Ae -- considered by many experts to be his likely successor -- and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
South Korean media reported, based on images released by Pyongyang, that Ju Ae appears to be wearing a Cartier watch - despite such a high-end item being banned from import into North Korea under UN sanctions, imposed in response to the country's nuclear and missile activities.
The North last year permitted Russian tourists -- Pyongyang has close ties with Moscow -- to return for the first time since Covid and Western tour operators returned in February this year.
Russia's Tass news agency on Wednesday reported that a passenger train from Pyongyang had arrived in Moscow, marking the reopening of the direct rail route between the allies' capitals after a five-year suspension.
A tourist train between Rason -- home to North Korea's first legal marketplace -- and Russia's Vladivostok resumed in May this year, according to an official from Seoul's unification ministry.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Canada's passport is losing ground; here's why it matter
Canada's passport strength has diminished, now ranking eighth globally, granting access to 184 destinations. This decline reflects a shifting global mobility landscape where traditional leaders like the U.S. and U.K. are also losing ground. Singapore leads with access to 193 destinations, highlighting increasing competition for travel freedom as Asia-Pacific sees significant growth in international travel. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why is Canada's passport losing ground? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Who leads the rankings? What's next for Canada? Canada's passport, once among the most powerful in the world, has slipped again in global rankings, according to the Henley Passport Index , which measures travel freedom across 199 latest data places Canada eighth, tied with Estonia and the United Arab Emirates. Canadian passport holders can now travel visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival to 184 destinations out of marks a drop from seventh place earlier this year, when the figure stood at 188 destinations, and a four-point decline over the past say the ranking change reflects a wider shift in global mobility. A statement from Henley & Partners, which compiles the index, noted that 'traditional mobility champions are losing ground in an increasingly multipolar world.'As countries in Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa open their doors and secure reciprocal agreements, many Western nations are introducing tighter entry United States and the United Kingdom have also slipped in the rankings, to 10th and 6th, respectively, despite once topping the list in 2014 and remains at the top of the 2025 list, with access to 193 destinations. Japan and South Korea follow with 190. Several European countries, including France and Germany, dominate the next the bottom end, Afghanistan's passport grants visa-free access to just 25 destinations, underlining stark global inequality in mobility Canadian passport remains among the strongest globally, but its gradual decline underscores the need for sustained diplomatic engagement. With international travel demand rising by 5.8 percent in early 2025 and Asia-Pacific leading growth at 9.5 percent, competition for travel freedom is expected to intensify.
Economic Times
6 hours ago
- Economic Times
Canada's passport is losing ground; here's why it matter
Synopsis Canada's passport strength has diminished, now ranking eighth globally, granting access to 184 destinations. This decline reflects a shifting global mobility landscape where traditional leaders like the U.S. and U.K. are also losing ground. Singapore leads with access to 193 destinations, highlighting increasing competition for travel freedom as Asia-Pacific sees significant growth in international travel. Agencies Canada's passport power weakens, slips to 8th in global ranking Canada's passport, once among the most powerful in the world, has slipped again in global rankings, according to the Henley Passport Index, which measures travel freedom across 199 latest data places Canada eighth, tied with Estonia and the United Arab Emirates. Canadian passport holders can now travel visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival to 184 destinations out of marks a drop from seventh place earlier this year, when the figure stood at 188 destinations, and a four-point decline over the past say the ranking change reflects a wider shift in global mobility. A statement from Henley & Partners, which compiles the index, noted that 'traditional mobility champions are losing ground in an increasingly multipolar world.' As countries in Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa open their doors and secure reciprocal agreements, many Western nations are introducing tighter entry requirements. The United States and the United Kingdom have also slipped in the rankings, to 10th and 6th, respectively, despite once topping the list in 2014 and 2015. Singapore remains at the top of the 2025 list, with access to 193 destinations. Japan and South Korea follow with 190. Several European countries, including France and Germany, dominate the next the bottom end, Afghanistan's passport grants visa-free access to just 25 destinations, underlining stark global inequality in mobility rights. The Canadian passport remains among the strongest globally, but its gradual decline underscores the need for sustained diplomatic engagement. With international travel demand rising by 5.8 percent in early 2025 and Asia-Pacific leading growth at 9.5 percent, competition for travel freedom is expected to intensify.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
8 hours ago
- First Post
Russia launches monthly direct flights to North Korea amid growing ties
Russia has launched direct commercial flights to North Korea, signalling a further strengthening of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang. The first Moscow-Pyongyang service, operated by Nordwind Airlines, departed Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday and is expected to run once a month initially. read more People wait outside Terminal C at the Sheremetyevo international airport outside Moscow, Russia. File image/ Reuters Russia inaugurated direct commercial flights to North Korea on Sunday, signalling deeper links with its Asian ally that will aid its push in Ukraine. According to the Sheremetyevo airport's website, the first Moscow-Pyongyang flight operated by Russia's Nordwind Airlines took off at 16:25 GMT. It is slated to arrive in the North Korean capital around eight hours later. However, Russia's transport ministry stated that the route will only be serviced once a month at first. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tickets for Nordwind Airlines, which used to transport Russians to European vacation spots prior to the EU banning Russian flights, cost 45,000 rubles ($570). 'This is a historical event, strengthening the ties between our nations,' Oleg, a Nordwind employee managing the flight who did not want to give his full name, told AFP at the airport. More from World Ukrainian drone strikes force Kremlin to scale down Navy Day celebrations He also declined to say how many passengers were on board. 'For the first time in more than 70 years of diplomatic relations, we are launching direct flights between the capitals of our countries,' Russia's deputy transport minister Vladimir Poteshkin was quoted as saying by the ministry's Telegram account. Russia's state news agency TASS reported that the first return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow would take place on Tuesday. Russia and North Korea restored train links on June 17 after suspending them in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. The two countries have been forging closer military bonds in recent years, with Pyongyang supplying troops and weapons for Russia's military operations in Ukraine. They signed a mutual defence pact last year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea. North Korea confirmed for the first time in April that it had deployed a contingent of its soldiers to the frontline in Ukraine, alongside Russian troops.
