Russian guests told of their experience walking on a North Korean beach at 2 o’clock

To get to the new resort opened in June 2025 Wonsan Kalma, Russian blogger Daria Zubkova had to fly from Petersburg to Vladivostok, then continue to Pyongyang. After three days here, she went to Wonsan Kalma resort, which has a 4 km long coastline.

“The resort is widely advertised everywhere,” Daria said.

The female blogger dismissed concerns about being “eavesdropped” during her stay, saying she was “not afraid” because she did not say anything sensitive, getting herself into trouble with the authorities.

However, she admitted that tourists are “rarely alone” because they are “always escorted everywhere”. Even when walking on the beach, someone accompanied Daria, but it didn’t look like she was being escorted, but like a gentle concern. The hotel staff walked with her, chatting or walking back.

“They explained that they were worried we might get lost,” Daria said about why the staff always followed her.

The Russian female tourist said that sometimes she can still be alone, especially at night. She left her hotel room on her own at 2:00 a.m., walked near the hotel, along the beach and didn’t have any problems.

Regarding cuisine, Daria said the resort has many restaurants, and she was served a variety of dishes. “They always try to surprise and please us. There are many types of meat such as duck, rabbit, many types of fish,” she said.

Constructions around the resort also impressed the female blogger. She described this place as having “very modern infrastructure” as the 4 km white sand beach is covered with newly built buildings, beautifully decorated interiors and fountains in the hotel.

Normally tight-lipped and almost isolated from the rest of the world, North Korea is still looking for ways to attract tourists through the opening of the Wonsan Kalma coastal resort. The destination is located on the east coast of the country, near the international airport of Kangwon province.

Inspired by Benidorm (a famous coastal resort in Spain), the Wonsan Kalma complex can accommodate up to 20,000 guests, with more than 40 hotels, motels and entertainment facilities. Initially, the project was expected to promote tourism and was praised by North Korean media as a “national treasure”. Currently, the new destination is open to welcome Russian guests.

In 2025, data showed that 9,985 Russian citizens went to North Korea, the highest level since the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) began publishing data in 2010. Of these, nearly 5,100 trips were for tourism purposes.

Anastasiya Samsonova, another Russian tourist who had a week vacation in North Korea in 2025, said she was “satisfied even though the place is quite deserted.” She also did not notice anything scary or dangerous like “rumors”.

“Honestly, I really like this place,” Anastasiya Samsonova said.

She chose North Korea over other places to visit because she wanted to see how people here live. She had heard many negative stereotypes about North Korea, but when she arrived, she found that they were not true. “We feel completely free in this place,” the female tourist said.

North Korea’s official tourism website, DRP Korea Tour, announced last year that it would temporarily not accept foreign tourists at the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area without specifying the reason.

Russia remains the only country whose citizens are allowed to enter since North Korea relaxed pandemic-era border restrictions. This place reopened after the pandemic last year but quickly re-imposed restrictions on most countries.

Previously, many tourists chose North Korea as a vacation destination and had mixed experiences in this mysterious country – from almost never being alone to strange regulations about what is and is not allowed to do.

When North Korea first relaxed its borders for international visitors last year, Spanish tourist Caminante Rojo said he had set foot in the “reclusive country”.

According to the story, a street here reminded him of Dubai. He shared his experience on social networks and expressed shock at the expensive price of imported beer in bars when a bottle of beer costs 79 USD, a 6-liter bottle costs 629 USD.

Previously, many tourists also came to North Korea by participating in the Pyongyang Run and running around the city. This way, they can see the city and admire the lives of local people in the most authentic way.

“If you participate in the Pyongyang Marathon, you can jog in the morning outside the hotel without a tour guide,” said American female tourist Drew. However, visitors are still advised to strictly follow the regulations. If you’re found absent from breakfast, Drew warns, “they’ll come looking for you.”

Zoe Stephens, British, has been to North Korea 30 times and has even worked as a tour guide for many delegations from England, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.

Zoe affirms that this country is “normal”, regularly posting vlogs with elaborate images on social networks, recording her journey to explore the capital Pyongyang.