Cool! North Korea Opens Beachside Resort Town 🇰🇵

Intro

If you know me by now, as someone who likes to go to places most people wouldn't dare, this is an exciting development in my eyes for North Korea...

Spreading across the news today are reports that North Korea will be opening a seaside resort town about a 2-hour drive south of the capital, Pyongyang. While details and pictures remain scarce (ish, more than what we usually get), here are all of the details that we do know.

The Details

As of July 1st, 2025, North Korea is set to open its beautiful Wosan-Kalma beach resort. With a runway in the region and being accessible by road from Pyongyang, the resort will cover 605 acres across an almost 4-mile beach.

It actually looks really pretty

Interestingly, this town holds a special place in the Supreme Leader's heart, as he grew up in the area. He had decided that he wanted to open this resort town back in 2018, the project was started, and then suspended during the pandemic. 6 years after announcing it, tourists will soon be welcomed!

From certain pictures and information, here is what to expect if you visit:

• A water park

• An amusement park

• Shopping malls

• Nice hotels

• A high service standard

Overall, this is one of the more interesting developments that we have seen in terms of tourism.

Is There An Appeal?

The biggest question floating online is, "Who would want to go to North Korea for vacation," etc, etc. However, I think there is an appeal here. number of different reasons:

• Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has noted that the first visitors to be welcomed will be from friendly countries, such as Russia and China. With a capacity of 20,000 people, I wouldn't expect it to be full, but I'd imagine that a significant number of people will come.

• Why? Curiosity (our greatest strength as humans) and something different. In the past, visiting North Korea would require tourists to go with a guide around select areas. If this town means having no guide, I imagine people would flock here to see what it is like in person.

Honestly, the way that I see it is that North Korea is attempting to do what Yemen has done with Socotra, just without the natural nature. People have been wanting to visit Yemen, but were scared to go to the mainland; Socotra became the choice to flock to. The same principles apply here, and this is the direction I see the DPRK going.

Let's hope they open up to US citizens, as I have heard amazing things about their beer.

Final Thoughts

For those who had North Korea on their bucket list, you will be pleased to know that the country is set to open up a beachside resort come July 1st. Unfortunately, your Hyatt points won't go far here, but with shopping malls, luxury hotels, amusement parks, and a water park, this is quite the step forward for the country. At the moment, it will only be those from Russia and China allowed, but I would imagine this will expand soon to more countries...

Side note: I had heard a rumour online, not confirmed, about North Korea offering an LGBT membership where there will be no issues when entering and while there. Apparently, the government came out and said this, but I cannot confirm. If so, this is a really cool move by the DPRK.