The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area—a pet project of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un—finally opened on July 1, eleven years after construction began. Kim attended the lavish opening ceremony with his daughter Kim Ju Ae, and even his wife Ri Sol Ju made a rare appearance after staying out of the public eye for a year and a half. The first foreign visitors, a group of Russian tourists, hit Kalma Peninsula’s beaches on July 7 and are scheduled to return in August. North Korea isn’t accepting Chinese tourists yet.
The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area is a North Korean-style resort complex with stunning nighttime coastal views—the lights never go out. But behind Myongsasimni Beach’s dazzling display lies a harsh reality: Wonsan residents are dealing with electricity restrictions to keep the resort powered up, as satellite photos reveal. I analyzed the night lighting around Wonsan-Kalma using visible and infrared images captured from space.
Kalma resort: Where the city never sleeps
Using visible and infrared imagery averaged over 31 days of May photos, I studied Wonsan, Kalma Peninsula, and the surrounding area. This approach smooths out weather-related errors for more accurate analysis. In May—when construction was in full swing before the July 1 opening—the Myongsasimni Beach area was clearly lit up like a beacon. At the same time, lighting had dropped significantly around Wonsan Harbor, downtown Wonsan, and near the international airport. It appears electricity has been rationed for downtown Wonsan residents, with power redirected to run the coastal tourist zone and its bright lights.
The data comes from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System. This satellite photographs the entire planet daily at 1:30 a.m., measuring light emitted from the surface. The imagery is widely used to study urban nighttime activity and regional economic patterns. The data includes daily, monthly, and yearly averages, though daily images can be unreliable due to cloudy weather.
To minimize weather interference, I compiled and averaged images from entire months or years. This method showed regular nighttime lighting while filtering out temporary sources like wildfires or fishing boat lanterns. Researchers call this “Stable Night Light” or SNL. For this study, I analyzed Kalma Peninsula’s night lights using averaged May imagery. The data is freely available from the VIIRS Nighttime Light website. I used May averages because June data wasn’t yet uploaded, comparing night lighting changes between last May and this May in the Wonsan and Kalma Peninsula areas.
Darkness on Kalma Peninsula when construction stopped
The satellite image above shows Wonsan, Kalma Peninsula, and surrounding areas late at night in May 2024, when coastal tourist zone construction was on hold. Downtown Wonsan, Wonsan Harbor, and the international airport shine brightly, while the coastal tourist zone on Kalma Peninsula remains pitch-black with no visible lights. At that time, downtown Wonsan apparently had a fairly reliable electricity supply. The Wonsan area is reportedly North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s birthplace.
Development of the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area began in June 2014, when North Korea designated the Wonsan and Mount Kumgang area a special tourism zone, taking inspiration from Singapore. Construction stopped in 2020 due to financial problems and supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, work resumed after Kim Jong Un visited the site in July 2024, and the resort opened on July 1 this year—eleven years after construction started.
Two power plants serve the Wonsan area: the Wonsan Youth Power Station, completed in 2009, and the Wonsan Army-People Power Station, finished in April 2016. Both have supplied electricity to Wonsan, but much of the public’s power appears to have been diverted to Kalma Peninsula, where it primarily runs the coastal resort and powers its nighttime lighting. This study shows that power has been restricted in downtown Wonsan and surrounding areas. Electricity for ordinary residents has been limited, with much of it siphoned off to operate the Kalma resort’s entertainment facilities. North Korea seems to have launched a foreign currency operation targeting Russian tourists, with ordinary North Koreans paying the price through electricity rationing.
