N. Korea renovates train station ahead of Kalma tourist district launch

This photo, published by the Korean Central News Agency, shows the resort facilities at the Kalma beach resort complex along North Korea's east coast, Dec. 31, 2024. Yonhap

North Korea has completed renovations on a train station in the newly developed eastern coastal tourist region of Kalma as the country is set to open a much-publicized beach resort complex there this month, state media reported Thursday.

A ceremony marking the completion of renovations on Kalma Station was held on-site the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, describing the station as the key to public transportation for the coastal tourist district.

"Reasonably equipped with waiting halls, information desks and other facilities, the train station has been uniquely established to ensure a high level of convenience for visitors to the beach tourist district," the KCNA noted.

Known for its long stretch of silvery sand, the Kalma peninsula has been under development since 2014 as a tourist destination, with North Korea pledging to open it for service in June.

North Korea initially aimed to open it in April 2019, but construction was delayed due to international sanctions that hindered material procurement, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the construction site twice last year, prompting the completion of the project.

Satellite images of the district show a cluster of resort facilities along the beach, including a water park.

Amid stringent international sanctions, North Korea is turning to tourism as a means of earning foreign currency.

Earlier this year, the country began accepting foreign tourists for the first time since imposing COVID-19 border controls in early 2020 and, in April, resumed its annual international marathon in Pyongyang for the first time in six years.