Why Wonsan? The answer is personal. Kim Jong Un spent much of his youth in Wonsan, a city historically favored by North Korea’s elite. His late father Kim Jong Il also maintained a villa there. The city holds both symbolic and strategic significance. Once used as a missile test site, Wonsan has long served as a kind of “playground” for the ruling class. Kim’s efforts to transform it into a glitzy tourist zone can be seen as a reflection of his broader goal: to remodel North Korea in his image.
A Luxury Destination in a Land of Scarcity
North Korea is one of the poorest nations in the world, heavily sanctioned for its weapons program and cut off from most international markets. The country experiences chronic food shortages, unreliable electricity supply, and systemic economic mismanagement. Yet, paradoxically, it continues to pour vast resources into monumental construction projects—especially those linked to Kim Jong Un’s personal brand.
The Wonsan-Kalma resort reportedly includes multiple hotels, a water park, shopping complexes, and restaurants capable of hosting 20,000 guests. State media, particularly the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), presents the project as proof of the government’s commitment to prosperity and modernization. The reality, however, is harder to verify. No independent organizations have confirmed the quality, safety, or even the real scale of the infrastructure. In fact, satellite imagery has often shown empty buildings and stalled construction.
Critics say the resort is more spectacle than substance, a Potemkin village of sorts designed to impress foreign visitors or camera crews allowed into the country under strict supervision. However, that doesn’t negate its importance to the regime’s messaging.