Inside North Korea's secret beach paradise where tourists are watched 24/7

North Korea’s Benidorm, the luxury resort which opened up on July 1, welcomed its first group of foreign visitors. About a dozen Russian tourists arrived in early July; additional Russian tourists are scheduled to arrive in August. With an estimated capacity of 20,000 guests, the Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort features artificial white sand beaches, hotels, waterparks, surf pools, rides and a tram/electric car system. The initial reports from the Russian media indicated that it was primarily for Russians and North Koreans. This is an initiative by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to boost tourism in the politically isolated country.

The visiting guests have left a surreal response about “North Korea’s Waikiki”, the project is a prestigious tourism initiative driven by Kim Jong Un. Some guests reported being 'chaperoned constantly', with staff following them around always, even when they were at the beaches. They raised issues of surveillance and lack of privacy. Some of the guests were paranoid about their phones being bugged, and communication was reportedly disrupted. Each mail supposedly costs £1.65, sent only through hotel accounts.

The tourists were flown to Pyongyang but then transferred to Wonsan by private train. Thus providing a rare view of the rural North Korea. The tourists praised the cleanliness and infrastructure of the resort. There were attractive facilities like electric cars and trams ferrying guests around the spacious, but often nearly empty, beach areas.

However, analysts are critical about long-term success, particularly due to limited visibility, isolated travel conditions and political control over the guests. The site reportedly hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in mid-July. This hints at a potential diplomatic usage of the site to repair some of the damage of North Korea on the global stage.