What did North Korea finish building at the Wonsan-Kalma resort?

North Korea completed Myongsasimni Station at the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area on the east coast. KCNA said the station is designed to support tourist travel and was presented as a model for local railway stations.

Why is North Korea building new transport facilities at Wonsan-Kalma?

The project is part of North Korea’s effort to nurture tourism. State media said Kim Jong-un used a June visit to the resort to push modernization of railway stations in provincial cities, using the resort as a reference point.

How is North Korea trying to bring more visitors to Wonsan-Kalma?

Besides the new station, North Korea has run domestic flights between Pyongyang and the resort since July 23. State media also said tens of thousands of people have visited the zone this summer and promoted it as a destination for Korean-style tourist culture.

N. Korea completes new railway station at Wonsan-Kalma resort

Listen

Summary

North Korea has finished building Myongsasimni Station at the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area on the east coast to support tourism. State media said the 7,000-square-meter station is meant to serve tourist travel, and the completion ceremony was attended by Vice Premier Pak Hun. Kim Jong-un visited the resort in June and called for provincial railway stations to be modernized using lessons from the project. The resort opened in June 2025 and can reportedly hold up to 20,000 visitors.

Key Facts

The completion ceremony for Myongsasimni Station took place the previous day, according to KCNA.
State media described the station as 7,000 square meters and a standard for local railway stations.
Kim Jong-un visited Wonsan-Kalma in June and urged officials to modernize railway stations in provincial cities across the country.
North Korea said domestic flights to and from Pyongyang to the resort have run since July 23, with Air Koryo operating the route twice a week using an Antonov An-148 aircraft.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 28, 2026 8:44 am KST

The Korean Central Television shows crowds packing beaches at the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, July 18. Yonhap

North Korea has finished building a railway station at the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area on the east coast, state media said Friday, as the nation seeks to nurture tourism.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said a ceremony marking the completion of Myongsasimni Station took place the previous day, attended by high-ranking officials, including Vice Premier Pak Hun.

State media lauded the 7,000-square-meter station as a "standard for local railway stations, designed to meet its mission, function and purpose of tourist travel."

The resort, one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's signature development projects, officially opened in June 2025 and can reportedly hold up to 20,000 visitors at a time.

While visiting the resort in June to inspect its facilities, Kim unveiled plans to modernize railway stations in provincial cities across the country, urging officials to draw on lessons from the project.

The North has ramped up efforts to draw visitors to the resort, running domestic flights to and from Pyongyang since July 23.

According to Flightradar24, a flight-tracking site, state carrier Air Koryo operates the route twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, using the Ukrainian company Antonov's An-148 aircraft.

Pyongyang's state media have launched a promotional campaign for the resort, claiming tens of thousands of people have visited the zone this summer.

"The Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area in the DPRK is now overflowing with many visitors who came from across the country by train or bus to enjoy the Korean-style tourist culture," the KCNA reported Saturday. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Explore More