Woman visits North Korea’s ‘very cool’ version of Benidorm but flags one major concern

The Wonsan Kalma resort in North Korea has been dubbed the ‘Benidorm of the East’ and is a popular holiday destination for those visiting from Russia and one blogger has shared her thoughts on the ‘luxury’ resort

A woman has visited North Korea’s ‘luxury’ beach resort, which is said to be modelled after Benidorm. Since then, she had branded the area as “very cool”, but one thing has left her a little unnerved.

The massive Wonsan Kalma resort can accommodate around 20,000 guests, but all tourists, except those from Russia, have been prohibited from visiting. The new complex boasts a huge artificial white sand beach – previously a missile test site – on the Sea of Japan, and was inaugurated by Kim-Jong Un himself.

However, Russian guests who have visited claim they were ‘followed’ everywhere and suspect their phones may have been bugged during their stay. Now, stories of what goes on in the bizarre resort are starting to reach the public.

Russian blogger Daria Zubkova was one of the first tourists to visit the resort and shared her thoughts on her trip to the secretive holiday destination. The veterinary assistant travelled from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok in Russia, then onto Pyongyang, and revealed how she was never left alone during her journey.

“Even on the beach, there was someone walking with us, but it didn’t look like some kind of convoy, it looked more like sweet concern,” she explained. “They’re walking, they’ll chat with you, they’ll just walk behind you, that is, they’ll argue somehow that we’re worried about you getting lost or something”, according to the Mirror.

However, this is reportedly due to “concern” for guests rather than North Korean surveillance. Daria mentioned that while most people fear “wiretapping everywhere”, she wasn’t worried as she had nothing to hide; she even managed to leave her room at 2am for a solitary beach walk and encountered “no problems”.

The sprawling resort also boasts over 40 hotels, guesthouses, and leisure facilities. Regarding the food, Daria shared that there was a variety of dining options at the retreat.

She was served an array of dishes that were “adapted to our interests” and they “always wanted to surprise us”, including a broad selection of meats. Daria also highlighted the “very cool infrastructure” around the hotel, noting the presence of new houses and buildings with “good decoration”.

For Russians, the basic cost of this tour is £1,360, once they’ve reached Vladivostok. All but £325 of this must be paid in cash.

Other tourists have reported being informed that sending emails would cost £1.65 per email. On top of this, the tour company made it clear that the secret police could potentially monitor their messages – which would be sent from the hotel’s email account rather than their own.

It comes as North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un was seen sobbing as he welcomed home soldiers who had fought in Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. However, not one to be deterred, the Supreme Leader said that his nation had a huge military and was ready to do whatever it takes to stop its enemies.

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