Else Beekman
It may sound surprising, but North Korea has unveiled an enormous new seaside resort which is a straight Benidorm look-alike. The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, presided over the grand opening of this striking complex for 20,000 people on the east coast.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has shared images of what it describes as one of the regime’s latest prestige projects: the Wonsan Kalma beach resort. Located in Wonsan, around two hours from Pyongyang, the development showcases the monumental style typical of North Korean architecture, but with a distinctly Mediterranean twist.
Few can visit this holiday destination
At the end of June, Kim Jong-un personally inaugurated the Wonsan Kalma complex. Capable of accommodating over 20,000 guests, it features hotels, restaurants, swimming pools, shopping centres, a spa, and even a water park. Four kilometres of beaches line the entire resort, which opened to the public on 1 July.
The sweeping display of extravagance in one of the world’s most reclusive nations has become one of North Korea’s main domestic tourist destinations. Wonsan itself has long been associated with luxury tourism within the country and holds personal significance for Kim, who reportedly spent part of his childhood there.
A vision of Benidorm, behind closed borders
Photographs show hotel towers and apartment blocks along the Sea of Japan, recalling the skyline of Benidorm. However, while the Spanish coastal city welcomes millions of international visitors each year, North Korea’s new resort remains strictly off-limits to foreign tourists. Only North Koreans can holiday there, reflecting the regime’s continued isolation.
The Wonsan Kalma resort joins a series of grandiose projects, including the towering Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, which symbolise the government’s ambitions to showcase modernity and prosperity despite the country’s economic hardships.
Russian visitors?
“Wonsan-Kalma is open to just North Koreans for now, but we should not be surprised to see Russians at the resort in the not-too-distant future,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-resident fellow with the 38 North program at the Stimson Center. “More broadly, the opening of a major beach resort like Wonsan-Kalma helps to reinforce the state media narrative of Kim’s people-first policy and helps to balance out his greater focus on building up national defense,” Lee added.
For now, the vision of a the Benidorm look-alike in the Far East remains out of reach for all but a small domestic audience.
Benidorm named Europe’s most complete destination