Why Is North Korea Closing Its Doors to Foreign Tourists?

North Korea has decided to temporarily suspend foreign tourist visits to its new beach resort in the coastal city of Wonsan, according to Pyongyang’s state-run tourism promotion website on Friday. No explanation was provided for this decision.

The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, which opened less than a month ago with claims of accommodating nearly 20,000 guests, is now “temporarily not receiving foreign tourists,” as stated on the DPR Korea Tour website. This site is operated by North Korea’s National Tourism Administration.

Neither the reason for the suspension nor its effective date were disclosed on the website.

This announcement comes on the heels of a recent report by 38 North, a U.S.-based North Korea monitoring site. The report, based on high-resolution satellite images taken around July 12 during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, suggests that while the resort is “undoubtedly open,” construction is “not quite finished yet.”

Notably, the report indicates that one of the resort’s largest buildings, a hotel, does not appear to be operational.

Recent coverage by Russian newspapers has highlighted visits to the resort area by journalists and tourists. These reports emphasize the seemingly deserted beaches, which stand in stark contrast to North Korea’s promotional images depicting staged vacationers and few foreign tourists.

According to various news outlets, including the BBC and Russian daily Izvestia, foreign tourists who visited the resort reported that a weeklong package tour costs between $1,600 and $1,800 per person. Analysts note that this price point is relatively high for the Russian middle class, who typically earn between $670 and $2,000 monthly, as reported by employee time-tracking app operator DeskCove last year.

The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, unveiled on June 24, is situated on North Korea’s eastern coast. While primarily aimed at attracting foreign tourists, services for domestic guests were slated to begin on July 1, according to Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.