North Korea’s showcase coastal resort is turning into a symbol of inequality

Interest in North Korea’s Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone is rising sharply ahead of the summer season in 2026, with word-of-mouth praise from visitors spreading across the country — but steep costs are keeping the resort firmly out of reach for most North Korean people.

A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK recently that a noticeably growing number of people in Sinuiju have been making plans to visit the zone or asking around about the cost of staying there. Heavy state promotion of the resort, combined with positive accounts from those who visited during trial operations and incentive tourism programs last year, have helped build the sense that the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone is somewhere every North Korean wants to see at least once in their lifetime.

The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, located on the east coast of North Korea near the city of Wonsan in Kangwon province, is the country’s flagship domestic tourism project. Construction began in the early 2010s under direct orders from Kim Jong Un, and the resort features hotels, beaches, water parks, restaurants, and recreation facilities. After years of construction delays, it opened for trial domestic tourism in 2025.

“Among people who’ve been, the word is that if you have money, it really is as good as advertised,” the source said. “The facilities for eating, sleeping, and entertainment are all fully in place, and you can enjoy yourself without having to worry about what others think. People who haven’t been are very curious.”

Those who have made the trip have been unstinting in their praise. Descriptions heard in the area include “a tourist destination unlike anything else in the country,” “so much to enjoy that you actually feel like spending money,” and “a real place to rest and relax.”

A resort beyond most people’s reach

The main obstacle is cost. Daily spending of around $100 inside the resort is not considered unusual, the source said, and when accommodation and souvenir purchases are added on top, the total outlay rises considerably further. For North Pyongan province residents in particular, the round-trip transportation costs from Sinuiju to Wonsan on the opposite coast add another significant burden.

As a result, some people are exploring ways to reduce the expense: skipping overnight accommodation inside the resort and only using the beach, or arranging food and lodging outside the zone’s perimeter.

“People who are reasonably well-off are putting together trips of four to seven days,” the source said. “But even families with a degree of financial comfort have to be prepared to spend a substantial amount to make the trip as a family.”

For North Korean people with fewer means, the resort has become a source of relative deprivation rather than aspiration. “Talking about going to the Wonsan Kalma zone is something only people with money can do,” some have said. Others allow themselves to dream about going on a state-sponsored incentive trip so they wouldn’t have to pay their own way — but the source noted that such opportunities are extremely limited and that anyone who genuinely wants to go has to pay for it themselves. “Once you sit down and actually calculate the costs, it’s hard for ordinary people to commit,” the source said.

As summer approaches, interest in and longing for the resort continue to grow, but for a large portion of North Korean people it remains out of reach, the source said. Visiting has become a marker of personal wealth — something everyone wants but not everyone can access — deepening what the source described as a two-tier reality based strictly on individual economic means. “People who can’t afford it just say ‘I really want to go someday’ with a touch of bitterness,” the source said.

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