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North Korean vacationers disembark from an Air Koryo plane that arrived at Wonsan Kalma Airport. North Korea's state broadcaster KCTV reported on the 2nd that the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone is bustling with workers coming from across the country. / Yonhap

North Korean state airline Air Koryo has reportedly operated round-trip flights between Pyongyang's Sunan Airport and Wonsan-Kalma Airport recently, drawing attention. Analysts see this as an attempt to improve access to the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone, given North Korea's poor domestic transportation infrastructure, suggesting the flights are aimed at senior North Korean officials, award recipients, visiting foreign figures, and the wealthy.

According to flight tracking site Flightradar24 on the 6th, an Air Koryo passenger plane made round-trip flights between Pyongyang and Wonsan-Kalma once each on the 23rd, 27th, and 30th of last month and on the 3rd of this month — roughly twice a week — raising the question of whether this will become a regular route. North Korea's state broadcaster KCTV reported on the 2nd that vacationers had arrived at Wonsan-Kalma Airport via an Air Koryo flight, describing the area as bustling with workers arriving from across the country. Wonsan-Kalma Airport had previously served as a military airfield before being expanded and reopened as a civilian airport in 2015, though demand for domestic and international flights there has reportedly remained low.

Experts are focusing on the possible connection between these Air Koryo round-trip flights and the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone. The Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone, a large resort complex North Korea opened in July of last year, is reportedly capable of accommodating around 20,000 people, and there have been persistent projections that it would run at a loss without attracting large numbers of Chinese tourists. Analysts suggest North Korea may be testing this air route for domestic use, aimed at flying in specific groups of visitors such as foreign dignitaries and state merit award recipients.

Some also interpret the move as potentially targeting North Korea's wealthier, capitalist-leaning class. Earlier, in a revision to Article 70 of its constitution in March, North Korea affirmed citizens' right to rest, but removed language specifying that such rest and recuperation would be provided "at state expense" — a change some analysts see as laying the groundwork to encourage wealthy citizens to visit Wonsan-Kalma and spend their own money.

Jung Eun-yi, head of the North Korean Studies Division at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, "Given North Korea's poor transportation infrastructure, including rail and roads, it takes a long time to travel from Pyongyang to the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone," adding, "This appears to be an attempt to fly in people who have the financial means and desire to spend."

Jung added, "The removal of language guaranteeing state-funded rest and recuperation from Article 70 of the constitution suggests North Korea is opening places like the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone to people with financial means," noting that it remains practically difficult for ordinary residents to use air travel for domestic transportation.

It remains unconfirmed whether the Pyongyang-Wonsan Kalma route will become a regular scheduled service going forward. Air Koryo's website currently lists only international destinations such as Beijing and Shenyang in China and Vladivostok in Russia.

                                                                                                            Mok Yong-jae