Aerial view of the Wonsan Kalma resort (left) and a satellite image of red carpets installed at the Kalmaegi Hotel (right) | Images: KCNA (Dec. 31, 2024), Planet Labs (June 23, 2025), edited by NK Pro
North Korea’s gigantic — and problematic — Wonsan Kalma beach resort is about to finally open with a major ceremony likely attended by leader Kim Jong Un, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, almost eight years after construction began and over six years after Kim’s original deadline.
Planet Labs imagery shows North Korea has rolled out red carpets on Monday morning likely signifying Kim’s concert viewing platform and possibly a banquet area in front of the luxurious Kalmaegi Hotel, the centerpiece of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area.
Lounge chairs were laid out across the three-mile-long (5 km) resort beach front and there were buses and trucks in the parking lots of many of the zone’s 54 new hotels on Monday as well.
Red carpet and staircases appeared on the pavilion of the luxurious Kalmaegi Hotel at the center of the resort zone, a facility that appears to have been set up for Kim Jong Un to use for political events and summits with foreign leaders. Red carpets also appeared on the roof of the Kalma Goods Exhibition House, likely making use of its location across from an amphitheater that could be used for a concert at the ceremony. | Images: Planet Labs (June 23, 2025), KCNA (Dec. 31, 2024), edited by NK Pro | Coordinates: 39.16997° N, 127.48941° E
Buses and other vehicles appeared in the parking lots of several hotels on Monday morning as well | Image: Planet Labs (June 23, 2025), edited by NK Pro
Military conscripts have raced to complete construction of a giant waterpark in recent months | Image: Planet Labs (June 23, 2025), edited by NK Pro
This and the next image reveal efforts to remove the construction worker camp, repave parts of the airport and prepare a new train station possibly to receive Kim Jong Un’s train | Image: Planet Labs (May 18, 2025), edited by NK Pro
This and the previous image reveal efforts to remove the construction worker camp, repave parts of the airport and prepare a new train station possibly to receive Kim Jong Un’s train | Image: Planet Labs (June 23, 2025), edited by NK Pro
This and the next image show that some worker camp structures were simply moved further away from the resort in a sign that work may continue after officially opening | Image: Planet Labs (April 23, 2025), edited by NK Pro
This and the previous image show that some worker camp structures were simply moved further away from the resort in a sign that work may continue after officially opening | Image: Planet Labs (June 23, 2025), edited by NK Pro
The latest activity and preparations at Wonsan Kalma suggest the opening ceremony could take place later on Monday or in the next couple of days, as red carpets and special viewing stands for the leader are typically only set up within a few days of major ceremonies.
This follows other preparations in the last two weeks like repaving roads inside the resort as well as the parking lot and plane parking areas of the international airport connected to the resort — another troubled project as it still hasn’t serviced regular international flights a decade after opening.
Besides the hotels, 17 of which are classified as larger and more luxurious, the tourist area will also include a large outdoor waterpark, an indoor waterpark, minigolf course, movie theater, multiple shopping malls, dozens of restaurants, five beer pubs and two video game arcades, according to a guide map displayed at the northern entrance.
Prior to construction starting in early 2018, the Kalma Peninsula beach was regularly used as a launchpad for missile and artillery tests.
Russian tour groups will reportedly commence trips to Wonsan Kalma in July after the official opening, but news has yet to emerge on whether North Korea will invite Chinese or Western visitors.
State media is likely to promote domestic tour group trips to the resort in the coming weeks, including for students as well as workers from various factories and government offices.
However, only North Korea’s capitalist class and other well-connected elites are likely to be able to book personal trips to the resort, according to precedent regarding places like the nearby Masikryong Ski Resort, with other groups dependent on receiving government assistance as rewards for high marks and productivity.
A sprawling construction worker camp on the Kalma Peninsula for military conscripts living and working on site has also been dismantled in order to clean up the area before the ceremony, though some appear to have been simply moved further away, suggesting work on the entire zone may not be fully completed despite the impending opening.
Kim last publicly visited the resort in December, where state media declared the zone “will be open to visitors from June 2025,” though Pyongyang has not offered an official opening date.
NK Pro has compiled a list of Wonsan Kalma resort coverage since its inception in 2018 to help readers get up to speed:
Jan. 1, 2018: Kim Jong Un announces the project in his New Year address and says he plans to “complete the construction of the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area in the shortest period of time.”
Feb. 2018: State media begins to reveal more details about just how huge the planned resort would be.
March 2018: With inter-Korean relations warming, it appears that Kim Jong Un is targeting South Koreans as a major source of income to help fill the resort’s thousands of hotel rooms.
May 2018: Satellite imagery reveals the huge size and scope of the project.
May 2018: Kim Jong Un makes his first public visit to the construction site and announces an opening deadline of April 2019. Photos show basic concrete structures of several large hotels already finished.
Aug. 2018: In his second public visit to the site, Kim delays the deadline to Oct. 2019.
Sept. 2018: ROK President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un agree during a summit in Pyongyang to establish an East Sea Tourism Zone, likely eyeing the Wonsan Kalma resort.
Oct. 2018: Kim Jong Un visits for a third time but complains about its design and progress. He reiterates a deadline of Oct. 2019.
Jan. 2019: NK Pro reveals a detailed 3D animated presentation video of the Wonsan Kalma resort and its various features, likely used to attract investors in China and elsewhere.
Feb. 2019: Chinese investors declare connections to the Wonsan Kalma project.
March 2019: Satellite imagery reveals stalled construction on parts of the sprawling project.
April 2019: Kim Jong Un extends the deadline once again to April 2020 during his fourth public visit.
May 2019: Leaked North Korean foreign investment proposals for other tourist projects near Wonsan Kalma offer insights into how authorities think they will profit and benefit from the giant beach resort.
Oct. 2019: Amid the breakdown of the inter-Korean detente, Kim Jong Un signals opposition to reviving South Korean tourism.
March 2020: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and closing the country’s borders in Jan. 2020, state media still suggests the Wonsan Kalma resort is on track for opening in April 2020.
April 2020: The project misses Kim’s deadline, though satellite imagery shows most buildings externally completed.
May 2020: Worker camps on site are cleared. This initially suggests the resort could open, but it ended up being a sign the project was put on an extended pause.
Nov. 2020: A new plane parking apron is built at the Wonsan Kalma airport, possibly related to plans to increase capacity for incoming international flights.
March 2022: Satellite imagery shows overall construction remains incomplete.
Dec. 2022: Plans emerge for an international marathon circling the resort, though they have not come to fruition.
Feb. 2024: State media begins to revive promotion of the event to domestic audiences in a sign of plans to resume and finally complete construction.
Feb. 2024: Russian tourists become the first foreigners to take a tour of the nearly completed resort, though they do not stay overnight.
June 2024: Construction activity across the resort ramps up, satellite imagery shows.
July 2024: Kim Jong Un visits for the first time in over five years, his fifth public visit overall, where he declares a new opening deadline of May 2025.
Oct. 2024: Construction on a large new train station at the airport begins.
Dec. 2024: Kim visits for a sixth time and pushes the opening deadline to June 2025.
May 2025: Satellite imagery shows workers putting the finishing touches on several long-stalled areas of the project.
Colin Zwirko is a Senior Analytic Correspondent for NK News based in Seoul. He joined the company in 2018 after receiving a master's degree in international security and foreign policy from South Korea's Yonsei University. Follow him on Bluesky / Twitter.
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