North Korea bars foreigners from newly opened beach resort

North Koreans have begun visiting the newly opened Wonsan-Kalma beach resort, a state-run complex said to accommodate up to 20,000 people, according to official media.

Foreign tourists remain barred, with Pyongyang announcing a ban last week despite earlier praise from leader Kim Jong Un, who called the resort “one of the greatest successes this year.”

But the scope of the ban remains unclear. In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a monthly air route to Pyongyang on Sunday, highlighting growing ties between the two nations.

Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who visited the resort earlier this month to meet with Kim, pledged to promote it to Russian tourists.

North Korea has been slowly easing the curbs imposed during the pandemic and reopening its borders in phases.

Russian tourists have been visiting North Korea since last year.

Visitors from the West were allowed in from February, but this was abruptly halted weeks later without Pyongyang saying why.