Senior Chinese delegation visits North Korea’s Wonsan Kalma resort, KCNA says

SEOUL – A senior Chinese party and government delegation visited North Korea’s Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area, state media agency KCNA said on July 18, in the latest sign of renewed high-level exchanges between the neighbours.The delegation, led by China’s fourth-highest-ranked official, Wang Huning, toured the east coast resort on July 17 during the delegation’s visit to North Korea, which included a meeting with leader Kim Jong Un.The visit to the resort caps a three-day trip by Wang and is the latest in a series of exchanges between Beijing and Pyongyang that have signalled a strengthening of ties.Wang was accompanied by senior North Korean officials including Jo Yong Won and Kim Song Nam, KCNA said.The visitors were briefed on the resort’s facilities, operations and development prospects, and Wang praised the project as an example of North Korea’s “people-first” policy, according to the report.Wonsan Kalma is one of Kim Jong Un’s most prominent tourism projects, a sprawling beach resort on the Kalma Peninsula that state media has said can accommodate about 20,000 visitors.Kim has pushed the project for years as part of efforts to develop North Korean tourism and showcase modern leisure facilities, with Wonsan holding particular significance as a coastal area associated with the country’s elite and with Kim’s broader drive to turn the city into a major tourist destination. REUTERS