Breaking News. Since the 2013 planning of turning North Korea into a “world class” tourist destination; Kim Jong-un has once again brought it’s construction back on the radar where the transformation of the industrial port of Wonsan will indeed be turned
Breaking News. Since the 2013 planning of turning North Korea into a “world class” tourist destination; Kim Jong-un has once again brought it’s construction back on the radar where the transformation of the industrial port of Wonsan will indeed be turned into a beach resort town.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspects a test-fire of a new-type ground-to-sea cruise rocket Photo: KCNA /AFP
The North Korean government of Kim Jong-Un is planning a Mediterranean “costa”-style beach resort, taking inspiration from emblematic tourism hot spots in Spain, such as Benidorm.
A delegation of 20 officials from the secretive state recently enjoyed a fact-finding road trip from the French border through Barcelona and Valencia to Alicante, seeking inspiration as North Korea plans its own large beach resort in Wonsan, a port city on the country’s eastern coast.
According to a spokesman for the North Korean embassy in Madrid, the delegation was “amazed by the dimensions” of Benidorm’s towers and holiday parks.
Photo: Topix
He added that the Marina d’Or enclosed tourism complex in Oropesa del Mar was the closest match to their plans in Wonsan, “aimed at the domestic and international markets”.
It was only earlier this summer, when the North Korean delegation had breezed through Barcelona, showing no interest in the architectural wonders of Antoni Gaudi or the famous Rambla boulevard.
“We wanted to focus on the beaches because that is what we are interested in,” the embassy spokesman said.
The group were, however, captivated by Benidorm’s history-based theme park Terra Mitica, suggesting that Wonsan may one day boast an amusement park showing how North Korea evolved to perfection on the shoulders of its Asian forerunners.
As well as visiting Benidorm’s towering hotels, the visitors went to a campsite, where they left some clues about the kind of accommodation available once the Wonsan complex is ready.
North Korea’s plans to increase numbers of foreign visitors from just over 100,000 to an annual one million were jolted by the recent death of Otto Warmbier, a US visitor jailed after admitting stealing a propaganda poster.
Otto Warmbier Photo: People.com
North Korea’s ambassador to Spain spoke in Madrid of the country’s great potential as a tourism destination. The embassy official Kim Hyok-Chol comments: “They say it’s difficult to travel to our country, but this is not true. You can get a visa in less than a month” .
However, he added: “If you want to eat in a Pyongyang restaurant, you can go on your own. But if you want to visit places beyond that, you will be accompanied. So far, this has been the safest and most comfortable way to visit the country.”
While the document on the Wonsan development doesn’t include a timetable for construction, unnamed sources have said, the project is contingent upon foreign investment, with North Korea currently trying to woo $1 million from a company in Singapore.
Will you be visiting this transformed North Korean paradise?
