Russians Were Offered A Vacation In North Korea At The Price Of Turkey
- 14.07.2025, 18:35
Getting to Wonsan Kalma Resort is only possible with many transfers.
Russian citizens have been given the opportunity to vacation at the recently opened North Korean resort of Wonsan-Kalma. The cost of a seven-day tour offered by the DPRK tour operator Vostok-Intour is 1,400 US dollars and 35,000 Russian rubles per person. At the exchange rate as of July 14 (77.89 rubles per dollar), the total amount comes to about 144,000 rubles. For comparison: a trip of similar duration to a five-star hotel on the first line in Turkey, according to the Travelata service, will cost about 150,000 Russian rubles for two people.
The new beach resort on the eastern coast of the DPRK was recently visited by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. During the visit, he expressed hope that Wonsan-Kalma "will please not only the locals but also Russians." His trip coincided with the arrival of the first group of Russian tourists, but according to Kommersant, there were almost no people at the resort.
According to "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", Vostok-Intour's general director Inna Mukhina explained, it is possible to get to Wonsan from any Russian city, but only with connections - first a flight to Vladivostok, then a flight to Pyongyang and finally to Wonsan. These flights are carried out three times a week - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition, since June 17, a direct train service between Moscow and Pyongyang has been opened. Also, according to Sergey Lavrov, a passenger ferry will soon start running between Vladivostok and Wonsan.
"Since the DPRK is a closed country, there was no one else on the beaches except Russian and Korean tourists," Mukhina said, describing the impressions of the first vacationers.
The Wonsan resort was built with a six-year delay from the original schedule. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), it is designed to accommodate up to 20,000 guests. The complex covers about four kilometers of coastline and includes hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park. Although Wonsan is in close proximity to a missile test site where weapons tests were previously conducted, the location is considered prestigious.
Despite the resort's official opening on June 26, its infrastructure remains largely unfinished. According to an NK News analysis based on a new official map of Wonsan-Kalma, only six of the 17 announced hotels are fully operational. The remaining buildings, judging by the lack of names, navigation and signage, are likely not yet operational. The map was published by the State Foreign Language Publishing House of the DPRK.