Holiday in North Korea: Vacation or Control?

Holiday in North Korea: Vacation or Control?

Evelina Urbutyte

25-2 Yonsei PSCORE

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Going on vacation at least once a year is a basic expectation for most people worldwide, especially since jobs typically provide 2 days of paid vacation per month. Some may accumulate their paid vacation days to get an extended leave from work to travel elsewhere, whereas others may choose to use them up as they come to travel within their country. Clearly, going on vacation is typically up to the individual and what their job allows. However, does this concept exist in North Korea? Even if it does exist in one way or another, are North Koreans able to travel within the country using their own free will? Even if some form of paid leave system exists on paper in the DPRK, the severe restrictions on internal mobility mean that most citizens are unable to meaningfully exercise such rights in practice. While vacations do exist in North Korea, they cannot be understood as free and voluntary travel.

So far, the DPRK has developed various areas/resorts for both domestic tourism and international tourism. One such place is the Masikryong Ski Resort, which was built in just 10 months at the summit of Taehwa Peak (see image 2 on the left) in 2013. According to the North Korean Sports Ministry, the ski resort was built for “the improvement of material and cultural lives of the people, and their physical training.” Another prominent site is the more recently built coastal resort zone, Wonsan‑Kalma Coastal Tourist Area. The proposition for constructing such an area goes back as far as 2014. The inauguration ceremony was only held this past June, while access for domestic tourists was granted on July 1st of this year. This coastal area is currently targeting domestic tourists only, going as far as to exclude large numbers of foreign tourists. North Korea has also gone as far as to adopt a Tourism Law back in 2023, stating that “the new law on tourism details the issues of revitalising domestic tourism and expanding international tourism simultaneously, ensuring the convenience of tourists, and proactively protecting the ecological environment.” Considering the steps taken so far, why is it still uncertain whether North Koreans are genuinely able to go on vacation, despite the government’s stated intent to develop domestic tourism?

Although the DPRK has built infrastructure that would seemingly support domestic travel, it is questionable whether the majority of regular citizens will be able to do so. It is well known that mobility within the country has always been heavily controlled, which directly contradicts the international human right to freedom of movement outlined in Article 12 of the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). In practice, travel in North Korea still heavily relies on a strict internal permit system, requiring citizens to apply for a permit and provide a convincing reason (often informal payments). A past study done in 2007 with defectors showed that local citizens rarely reported leisure travel opportunities. This absence of basic mobility reflects not only cultural or economic limitations, but a broader pattern of rights restrictions. Though the study may no longer be as relevant since most of the tourist infrastructure was built in 2013 onwards, the study highlighted how tourism and vacations were state-sanctioned and ideologically framed, which is likely to still be the case today. There is a high probability that these vacation spots serve as nothing more than domestic and international propaganda; however, full assessment remains difficult due to limited transparency and restricted access to information. Despite this, historical patterns suggest that the state’s promotion of domestic tourism is likely a continuation of movement restrictions under a more curated and politically controlled form, rather than a meaningful improvement in citizens’ human rights.

Seeing as the world we live in today has become increasingly globalised, allowing for almost anyone and everyone to travel all over the world, it is considered important for most countries to develop their tourism appeal. It can be presumed that North Korea wishes to promote itself on the same level as Western countries when it comes to travel and vacations. If this is looked at through a realism perspective, it becomes clear that the goal is to spread the image of North Korea as a wealthy country where citizens enjoy domestic travel just as much as in any other country. Despite this, it is very likely that ‘vacations’ within the DPRK are not spontaneous or consumer-driven travel, but rather have more state-framed ideology and less personal freedom to choose where or when to go due to state control.

Ultimately, without genuine freedom of movement as defined under Article 12 of the ICCPR, the existence of resorts or tourism laws does not signal improved rights for citizens, but rather a continuation of the same system where mobility is regulated, conditional, and used as a political tool. 

Citations

Image 2

https://www.uritours.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/masik-pass-view-hotel-slopes.jpg 

Frank, Ruediger. “Authoritarian Leisure: North Korea’s Wonsan-Kalma Tourism Project in Comparative Perspective - 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea.” 38 North, Aug. 2025, www.38north.org/2025/08/authoritarian-leisure-north-koreas-wonsan-kalma-tourism-project-in-comparative-perspective. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

Han, Dong, et al. Freedom of Movement in North Korea 2017 Special Report. 2017, repo.kinu.or.kr/bitstream/2015.oak/8553/1/Freedom%20of%20Movement%20in%20North%20Korea.pdf.

Masik-Ryong Ski Resort Development Project. Juche 102, 10 May 2013, www.nkeconwatch.com/nk-uploads/Masik-ski-resort.pdf.

Na, Yongwoo. “The Adoption of the Law on Tourism: Is It a Signal of North Korean Openness?” Kinu.or.kr, Sept. 2023, https://doi.org/1552918. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

Ouellette, Dean J. “The Tourism of North Korea in the Kim Jong-Un Era: Propaganda, Profitmaking, and Possibilities for Engagement.” Pacific Focus, vol. 31, no. 3, Dec. 2016, pp. 421–51, https://doi.org/10.1111/pafo.12084.

Seung-Yeon Chung. “North Korea Hypes Wonsan Kalma Resort as an Oasis for Citizens, Not Foreigners | NK PRO.” NK PRO, 25 July 2025, www.nknews.org/pro/north-korea-hypes-wonsan-kalma-resort-as-an-oasis-for-citizens-not-foreigners. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

United Nations. “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” OHCHR, United Nations, 16 Dec. 1966, www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights.