North Korea's Wonsan Kalma Resort Promoted to Senior Chinese Delegation
By Reuters | 17 Jul, 2026

On the third day of its N. Korea trip a high-level Chinese delegation was taken to the sprawling Wonsan Kalma beach resort, one of Kim Jong Un's most ambitious tourism projects.

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning, during Wang's visit in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 16, 2026 in this picture released July 17, 2026 by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA./File Photo

A senior Chinese party and government delegation visited North Korea's Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area, state media agency KCNA said on Saturday, in the latest sign of renewed high-level exchanges between the neighbours.

The delegation, led by China's fourth-highest-ranked official, Wang Huning, toured the east coast resort on Friday during the delegation's visit to North Korea, which included a meeting with leader Kim Jong Un.

The visit to the resort caps a three-day trip by Wang and is the latest in a series of exchanges between Beijing and Pyongyang that have signalled a strengthening of ties.

Wang was accompanied by senior North Korean officials including Jo Yong Won and Kim Song Nam, KCNA said.

The visitors were briefed on the resort's facilities, operations and development prospects, and Wang praised the project as an example of North Korea's "people-first" policy, according to the report.

Wonsan Kalma is one of Kim Jong Un's most prominent tourism projects, a sprawling beach resort on the Kalma Peninsula that state media has said can accommodate about 20,000 visitors.

Kim has pushed the project for years as part of efforts to develop North Korean tourism and showcase modern leisure facilities, with Wonsan holding particular significance as a coastal area associated with the country's elite and with Kim's broader drive to turn the city into a major tourist destination.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee in Seoul; Editing by Matthew Lewis)