Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun and other embassy officials visited the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone on the occasion of Lunar New Year, state media reported Sunday, in a move that has sparked speculation about Pyongyang's efforts to lure Chinese tourists to the beach resort area.
The visit occurred on February 14 at the Wonsan-Kalma beach resort, where Wang and his delegation attended a friendly meeting alongside North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). A photo released by KCNA the following day showed North Korean and Chinese officials at the site.
Pyongyang's foreign ministry hosted a banquet to mark the Lunar New Year at a landmark hotel in the coastal tourist district, the KCNA reported. The event highlighted the ongoing diplomatic exchanges between the two neighboring nations.
During the gathering, participants expressed their "will to further advance the friendly ties between their two nations by upholding the noble intentions of their top leaders," the state media outlet stated.
This marked the first time North Korea's state media reported on Chinese Embassy officials visiting the Wonsan-Kalma tourism zone, which officially opened in July last year and is designed to accommodate up to around 20,000 visitors.
The development comes amid North Korea's push to develop tourism infrastructure, with the Wonsan-Kalma zone representing a key project aimed at boosting visitor numbers, particularly from China, its primary trading partner and source of tourists before pandemic-era border closures.
