This photo shows the new Kalma tourist zone along the east coast in North Korea, provided by the Korean Central News Agency, Dec. 31, 2024. Yonhap

A Russian travel agency has begun attracting tourists to North Korea's new Kalma tourist zone along the east coast, potentially bringing Russians as the first foreign tourists to the location, the firm's social media showed Friday.

Vostok Intur, a Vladivostok-based tour agency organizing trips to North Korea, announced three tour dates to the Wonsan-Kalma tourist resort starting in early July, inviting tourists to join the program, according to a Telegram post updated on Tuesday.

"Be the first guests and spend an unforgettable vacation in one of the most ecologically clean places in the world with the best entertainment for any budget, restaurants to suit every taste," said the Russian post, translated into English.

The program lasts eight days, with the first tour scheduled for July 7-14 and two additional tours in August. The cost is set at $1,400, plus additional expenses in Russian rubles.

The fee includes seven nights with three meals a day, including all flights, and internal tours of Pyongyang on the return trip, the post said.

Last month, North Korea announced the opening of the coastal tourist zone, scheduled for June, after 10 years of construction, a move seen as aimed at securing foreign currencies amid international sanctions.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected the site with his daughter, praising it as the "first big step" in advancing the tourism industry and describing it as "very spectacular, beautiful and magnificent." (Yonhap)