Wonsan Kalma: My trip to “Benido” North Korea

It was the guards who accompanied the group of Anastasia Samsonov suggested that this was not a typical beach holiday.

In July, a 33-year-old personnel worker was one of the first tourists who stopped at a new festive resort in North Korea, a large extent closed to the outside world.

Located in the exclusive zone on the east coast, where Leader Kim Jong Un spent most of his youth, the coastal tourist zone of Vonsan Kalma opened on July 1.

According to state -owned media, built next to the rocket test, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and water park.

But while it was originally exhibited as open to international tourists, only Russians who are included in groups and organized by accredited travel agencies have been admitted.

Anastasia traveled there last month with 14 other people. The visit was tightly controlled, and the guides and guards accompanied them and secured the route, which could not disperse without the permission of the North Korean authorities.

She says the guides told her that the guards should “prevent situations where we interacted with the locals and impressed them.”

“When we were walking down the street, they (Northern Koreans) looked at us with great surprise because the country was closed for a very long time,” Anastasia says.

BBC News Russian came into contact with her after finding geotic people on social media who went to the resort, regardless of any travel agency or media.

Anastasia says her group was also ordered not to photograph the construction sites, and is expected not to wear open clothes.

But despite the restrictions, she says that she “enjoyed vacation without people” on almost non -beaches with white sand.

“Every day (the beach) was cleared and aligned. Everything was flawless,” she says.

“The lungers were completely new, everything is impeccable. The entrance to the sea was very gentle, so yes, it was really a very good beach.”

Ever since the COVID pandemic, international tourism in North Korea has been on a pause to prevent the spread of the virus.

But last year the republic began to allow Russian tourists to visit again.

In February, he also began receiving tourists from the West, including Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, although it stopped sharply this week, not to mention why.

Vonson Kalma was built as a key part of Kim’s ambitions to enhance tourism in the country.

It is said that she attracted inspiration in the Spanish tourist hot playground, where a delegation of North Korea was sent in 2017.

But the details of how it was built were enveloped in secrecy, and human rights groups criticized the allegedly tough attitude towards workers.

A few weeks after its opening, North Korea announced that foreigners are “temporarily allowed to visit – except for tourists from Russia, the ally of the republic.

So far, two Russian tourist groups have visited the resort and now there is another.

A weekly trip from Russia to North Korea, including three days at the Wonsan Kalma resort, costs $ 1800 (1300 pounds) – 60% more than the average monthly salary in Russia.

Some advertising for the trip even refer to the nearest missile test site, describing it as a “unique” resting place.

Anastasia says there was no rocket when it was there, but Toy Rockets were sold near $ 40 (30 pounds).

Describing a typical day while on her trip, Anastasia says the group had breakfast at 08:00 when many events were planned and 09:30 on a more peaceful day.

In terms of the food they were given, there was “a lot of meat”, usually in sweet and sour sauce, as well as a dish involving finely chopped cabbage and carrots in sauce.

He says the 500 ml beer bottle was very cheap, at a cost of about 60 cents on the beach, and the souvenir of choice for tourists was the North Korean Olympic clothing.

Another tourist, Darius, writing on Instagram, called the resort “very raw” and “not the one used to Russian tourists”.

“But if you are tired of Asia, Turkey, etc., and you want something exotic,” she added.

However, there is an uncertainty when the next Russian tourists in Vonson Kalm will be allowed.

The trassogel, which organized the first three trips to the Vostok Intur resort, said in September there was a great interest in potential tours, but the North Korean authorities have not yet agreed with them.

Initially, tours were advertised on the Internet by Russian travel agencies in mid -September, but later they were removed.

It is not only Russians who face difficulties for Vanson Kalma.

Even Chinese citizens bordering on North Korea and is its main ally and economic partner, there are difficulties with accessing the resort, according to Andrei Lankov, a ties with North Korea and Professor of the University of Kukmin in Seoul.

He says Pyongyang intentionally limits the number of tourists and carefully controls his movements, in part, so that the North Koreans do not compare themselves unfavorable to the richer foreigners.

“Ordinary people can start thinking: ‘How is everything without our great leader or his son or daughter, they seem to live so well? “,” says Lankov.

For this reason, North Korea came to the conclusion that the country is not better to enter too many foreigners, he adds.

With the restriction of travel to North Korea, tourism from Russia is growing, although it remains modest compared to other directions.

In 2024, about 1500 Russians went to North Korea for tourism, the Russian Security Border Protection Service reports.

In contrast, more than 6.7 million visited Turkey, and almost 1.9 million went to China.

However, in the second quarter of 2025, 1673 Russians entered North Korea as tourists – the level of the latter, which was marked in 2010 before tourist restrictions were imposed.

Vonson Kalma is regarded as the key to the revival of the North Korea’s patient’s economic condition, but it was not without controversy.

Ever since the resort started construction in 2018, human rights groups protested against allegedly brutal treatment of their workers. They indicate reports that people are forced to work long hours to complete a large -scale project in tough conditions and lack of compensation.

The BBC appealed to the North Korea Embassy in London for comments.

Despite the problems of getting into Vanson Kalm and restrictions on what Russian tourists can do when they arrive in North Korea, Anastasia says he hopes to return next year.

“We actually think about gathering the whole group next year to go to the same place.

“I’m not sure it will work out, but I heard that there is also a ski resort next to Vonsan Kalma. Therefore, I may also visit this resort once.”