North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un opened his water park this week in Wonsan Kalma, on the east coast of North Korea. At the opening party, he was excited, accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-J, and his daughter Kim Ju-AE-the likely successor.
The tourist complex, which will be opened on July 1, will be able to receive up to 20,000 people-all North Koreans. Foreigners’ entry is restricted for now, with companies in the sector estimating that only 5,000 Western travelers visit the country per year.
Kim said his construction would be recorded as “one of the biggest hits this year” and called the place “the first proud step” to realize the government’s policy to develop tourism, according to North Korean news agency KCNA.
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Analysts say Kim is interested in developing tourism, and Wonsan Kalma’s sands would be the ideal place. North Korea reopened its borders in August 2023, after nearly four years of isolation due to the pandemic, when even its citizens were prohibited from traveling. The restrictions, however, were not completely relieved.
Kim’s park was described by the regime as “a world -class cultural resort.” Photos released by the state media showed the dictator sitting in a suit, in a suit, looking at a man plummeting from a waterslide. “It is with great satisfaction that we inaugurated one of the biggest hits this year,” said Kim, who promised to build more tourist areas, according to the official press.
Last year North Korea allowed Russian tourists to return for the first time since Covid. On Wednesday, the Russian news agency Tass reported that a Pyongyang passenger train arrived in Moscow, marking the reopening of the direct railway route between the capitals of the two allied countries after five years of interruption.
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In May, the train connection was resumed between Rason – North Korea’s port city, where an experimental legal market operates – and Vladivostok in Russia.
Exclusive operation for North Koreans
KCNA reported that North Korea will start service to national tourists next Tuesday. The agency did not say when North Korea will start receiving foreign tourists, but Russian authorities later reported on Thursday that the first Russian ride to the place will take place in July.
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Analysts say the resort probably required a major investment in North Korea’s limited budget. This indicates that eventually the country will have to accept Chinese and foreign tourists to be profitable.
Kim has been struggling to turn the country into a tourist hub as part of the efforts to revive the economy into difficulty, and the Wonsan-Kalma zone is one of its most talked about tourist projects. KCNA has reported that North Korea will also confirm plans to build major tourist attractions in other parts of the country.
North Korea has not yet completely suspended the ban on foreign tourists imposed in early 2020 to protect itself from Covid-19 pandemic. Experts say the country has been slow to resume international tourism due to pandemic restrictions, the recruess of tensions with the US and South Korea in recent years and concern for western tourists who can spread a negative image of the regime.
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(With international agencies)
