The center has not provided any explanation or date until the restriction runs out. However, the restriction came after the Russian journalist indicated that people in the resort did not look like real tourists.
North Korea has suspended foreign tourists the opportunity to enter the recently open Wonsan Kalma, where almost 20,000 people can accommodate. AP reported on Friday that this step is reduced by the prospects of the complex that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described as “one of the greatest achievements this year,” writes TASR.
DPR Korea Tour said on its website that the resort “temporarily does not accept foreign tourists”. However, it did not provide any details or reasons why the resort does not accept guests, or until this measure will be in force.
The recreation center on the east coast of North Korea opened 1 July and last week there were a small group of tourists from Russia. The AP claims that observers expected the DPRK to open a resort for Chinese tourists, while tourists from other countries will largely defend the visit to this resort.
The prohibition came after a visit from Russia
Announcement of the closure of the resort for foreign tourists came only a few days after Wonsan visited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The head of Russian diplomacy met with North Korean Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs of CCHE Son-Hui and subsequently with Kim Jong-un. Lavrov said at a meeting with Chche that he was sure that Russian tourists would want to visit the resort.
Experts say that Pyongyang probably made a decision to stop the entry of foreign tourists into the newly opened complex for an article by a Russian journalist who was in the DPRK with Lavrov. The journalist indicated that the North Koreans in this area seemed mobilized by the authorities and not by real tourists.
North Korea is gradually releasing restrictions introduced during the global Pandemia of Covid-19 and gradually reopening its borders. Pyongyang, however, did not indicate whether it will completely restore international tourism. Chinese group tours, which accounted for more than 90 percent of visitors, remain suspended, writes AP.
