Anastasia Samsonova in North Korea.
Credit: Anastasia Samsonova Instagram account
When you’re thinking “dream beach holiday,” you probably don’t picture North Korea.
But for Anastasia Samsonova, a 33-year-old HR worker from Russia, summer 2025 meant sunbathing on spotless white sand, guarded by vigilant security officers, just a stone’s throw from a missile testing site.
Not your average vacation, but it is what it is.
North Korea’s Benidorm gets its first tourists
In July, Anastasia was one of the first tourists to check into the brand-new Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, Pyongyang’s grandiose idea of a luxury getaway. In fact, as strange as it may sound, Wonsan Kalma is a truly bizarre copy of the popular Spanish resort Benidorm.
Back in 2017, Kim Jong Un himself sent a big team of North Korean architects and officials on a fact-finding mission to Benidorm. They took notes on literally everything in the Spanish town: hotels, theme parks, the marina, and even the artificial lake concept.
The result? This Wonsan Kalma resort, with 43 beachfront hotels, guesthouses on an artificial lake, campsites, shopping malls, and even an aquatic park with towering yellow slides. Everything is made to copy the Mediterranean style, but with no freedom and cruel dictatorship.
“It was a vacation without people!”
Just to crank up the authoritarian vibes, the resort comes with some heavily armed ‘babysitters’ making sure you don’t talk to the locals or wander too far off-schedule.
“It was a vacation without people,” Anastasia told BBC. “The loungers were absolutely new, everything spotless. The entrance to the sea was very gentle, so yes, it really was a very good beach.”
The only catch? No bikinis, no spontaneous photos, no casual chats with North Koreans. Guards said it was to stop tourists from “startling” the locals.
€1,550 for a holiday where North Korean Olympic tracksuits are the souvenirs
For now, the resort is strictly Russians-only, organised by niche travel agencies at $1,800 a pop (around €1,550). That’s about 60 per cent more than the average monthly salary back home.
And yes, some ads proudly highlight its proximity to the missile launchpad, as if that’s part of the package deal. Anastasia says no missiles were launched while she was there on holiday, but they’re selling toy rockets for $40 (about €35). Probably just so, to get you into that magical local vibe.
The food? Endless meat in sweet-and-sour sauce. The drinks? Beach beers for 60 cents. The souvenirs? North Korean Olympic tracksuits.
“Next year, we’re going with the whole group!”
Unlike Benidorm and coastal Spain, North Korea’s own Benidorm is marked by the terrific conditions under which it was built. Satellite images, documents, and some testimonies from North Korean defectors show the use of forced labour, with workers working extreme hours, enduring hunger and even death.
Still, Anastasia is chill and swears she’d go back. “We’re actually thinking about gathering the whole group next year to go to the same place. I’ve heard there’s also a ski resort near Wonsan Kalma. So, maybe one day I’ll visit that resort too.”
Sounds great, really. Basically, just your average Russian summer: tanning by the sea, sipping cheap beer, saying hello to your always-ready-to-kill guards and posing next to missiles.
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