(CNN) — Miles of white sand, turquoise waters, and rows of pristine beachfront hotels line the shore at the newly built Wonsan-Kalma resort. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hopes the development will be his country’s answer to Waikiki.

But there’s one problem: the tourists aren’t there.

When CNN reviewed footage from the resort, which opened in June, only a handful of Russians could be seen on the vast stretches of beach. The rest of the area appeared empty.

“There are no other foreigners apart from us, 15 people,” said Darya Zubkova, a 34-year-old veterinarian from St. Petersburg, Russia.

She was part of the first group of foreigners allowed to vacation in Wonsan since the pandemic. For a week in July, Zubkova and her fellow travelers had the new multimillion-dollar resort almost enti

See Full Page