DPRK bans Russians from resort open to them after Lavrov's visit

North Korea has temporarily banned foreigners from visiting the beach resort in the east of the country – Wonsan Kalma, which recently opened for tourists. This was reported by the State Tourism Administration of the DPRK, writes Bloomberg.

North Korea did not explain the reasons for this decision. A few days before the resort was closed to foreigners, the Russian Foreign Minister visited it Sergey Lavrov.

During his visit to Wonsan, he held talks with Kim Jong-un on the North Korean leader's yacht. Lavrov promised to "do everything possible" to increase the flow of tourists from Russia to the DPRK.

Kim Jong-un, the head of the DPRK, considers the resort "one of the biggest successes of the year." He has personally inspected the construction progress, and his private residence is located next to the resort.

According to North Korean media, the complex has about 7,000 rooms in hotels and private villas, an outdoor water park and an airport.

Despite tough sanctions, tourism remains an important source of revenue for the Kim regime. After the pandemic, North Korea opened its borders to only a limited number of tourists from Russia.

All visitors are under strict supervision and can only stay in specially designated hotels with limited movement around the country.

Analysts assume that the resort was officially opened despite the fact that the construction is not yet complete.

For example, the 38 North program, based on satellite imagery, reported that one of the largest hotels is still not working – the pool on its roof is not yet filled, and there is almost no activity around the building.

• On March 6, 2025, a few weeks after the first visit of Western tourists in five years, North Korea again banned entry.