North Korea bans foreign tourists to newly opened beach resort

Source: Associated Press

North Korea bans foreign tourists to newly opened beach resort

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Updated 4:09 AM EDT, July 18, 2025

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is banning the entry of foreign tourists to a recently opened mega beach resort, a move that dims prospects for the complex that leader Kim Jong Un hailed it as “one of the greatest successes this year.”

DPR Korea Tour, a website run by North Korea’s tourism authorities, said in a notice Friday that the eastern coastal Wonsan-Kalma tourist complex “is temporarily not receiving foreign tourists.” It gave no further details including why a ban was established or how long it would last.

North Korea says the complex can accommodate nearly 20,000 guests. The resort opened to domestic tourists July 1 before receiving a small group of Russian tourists last week. Observers expected North Korea to open the resort to Chinese tourists while largely blocking other international tourists.

Ban comes after visit by Russia’s top diplomat

The announcement came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov flew to the complex to meet Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui for talks last weekend.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-tours-beach-resort-russia-28a5e4d8fc3c5ca3be93bc7b440c6217