Wonsan is where Kim Jong Un spent half of his childhood with his mom, according to biographers and intelligence reports, and one professional informed the BBC the metropolis has been related with the household since his father Kim Jong Il’s rule.
A defector who served for 13 years guarding residences used by then chief Kim Jong Il – through the Nineties to the early 2000s – informed the BBC the villas around Wonsan were used as a retreat by the elite. He remembers seeing dozens of kids and teenagers waterskiing during summer season.
North Korean state media not often publishes reports about Kim being on vacation, instead framing such visits as official inspections or steering. But defectors interviewed by the BBC appeared to be conscious that the household spent holidays in Wonsan, suggesting that at least some North Koreans knew about it.
North Korean state media also claims Wonsan is home to high-rise lodges, eating places, retailers, sports activities amenities and water parks, and can accommodate almost 20,000 guests.
State media and Russian retailers have printed pictures of small teams of Russian vacationers visiting the Wonsan Kalma resort, which opened in July 2025. Although developed to entice overseas guests, the resort is also open to native vacationers.
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