North Korea is building a new ski resort with plans to host Russian tourists, according to a report by the government of Primorsky Krai, a region in Russia’s Far East that borders the DPRK.
The 2.8 km² Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone will include 17 hotels, 37 guesthouses, 29 shops, a four-kilometre beach and other facilities, as per the report. It is due to open in the next few years.
The Primorsky Krai government added that a group of 98 Russians visited the DPRK on a four-day tour earlier this month. This is the first time that foreign tourists have visited North Korea in the last five years:
“The first [and] largest group of Russian tourists' acquaintance with the DPRK was successful. New groups of tourists will be formed in the near future.”
According to the report, most of the tourists decided to go to North Korea because of the ski resort. They claimed its main advantages were the high level of service, the lack of lines, and the help provided by the staff:
“A perfect track, [there was nobody around. It was great,» said Ilya Isavnin from Novosibirsk. “Yesterday we had a rest, went to the swimming pool and the last day was dedicated to skiing. The main advantage of the resort is that there are no queues, wherever you go, the staff will help you. It's perfect here.”