Small groups of North Korean women with a little money to spare are embracing domestic tourism this fall. Leisure trips of this kind were once seen as a pastime reserved for the country’s wealthiest traders, but now even women with regular jobs are carving out a day or two in autumn 2026 for outings.
“More women have been going on outings in small groups now that the cool autumn weather has arrived,” a source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Thursday. “People used to think only rich donju went on trips like this. Now they see it as something you can do if your life has even a little breathing room.”
Donju, literally “masters of money,” are entrepreneurs who made their fortunes in North Korea’s markets. They now bankroll much of the country’s private economy and the growing market economy around it. Wealthy donju have long obtained travel permits for summer beach vacations, for example. Most ordinary North Koreans, meanwhile, have typically spent the same season at work.
The new trend is most visible among women who face no serious financial hardship, the source said. Many of them simply want a brief escape from their daily routines.
Three women from Yonsa county and Musan county, for example, recently traveled together to Chongjin. In the provincial capital, they went bowling and played billiards before strolling along the seashore near Youth Park in the city’s Pohang district. The group then rode in a car down to the coast of Kyongsong county.
The places they visited are emerging as popular getaway spots across North Hamgyong province. They include Chongjin’s bowling alleys and billiard halls, the beach near Youth Park and the seaside resort area in Kyongsong county.
Kyongsong county in particular has drawn attention this year for a newly built coastal resort. Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, covered its opening in January. The paper reported that a completion ceremony had been held for the Yombunjin Coastal Park area in the county, saying the complex included the Yombunjin Ocean Hotel, a bathing beach, a movie theater and shops. A video game arcade and a water play area were also part of the site, which the newspaper touted as another place to enjoy “socialist civilization” to the fullest.
The resort is part of Kim Jong Un’s broader drive to build up North Korea’s tourism industry, the same push that produced the sprawling Wonsan-Kalma beach resort on the east coast, which opened in July 2025. Provincial authorities have even pressed workplaces to organize group tours to local attractions. Their aim is to keep tourism spending inside North Hamgyong province.
For women visiting from other parts of the province, browsing Chongjin’s large markets is a major attraction in its own right as it is home to big trading hubs such as Sunam Market and Pohang Market. Out-of-town visitors sometimes spend an entire day hopping between them by taxi just to look around. Sunam Market is often described as the largest permanent market in North Korea, serving as a wholesale hub for goods arriving from China and other regions of the country.
Chilbo Mountain, the province’s best-known scenic site, also comes up often as a destination. Women from farming areas, however, show little interest in a mountain trip.
“Women from the countryside say, ‘We came from the farm, so why bother going to look at mountains?’” the source said. “They also say things like, ‘Nothing beats seeing the sea.’ They see mountains all the time in their daily lives, but the sea is hard to reach. Resting by the shore gives them far more satisfaction than any mountain view.”
Currency fears fuel spending on domestic tourism
The rise in everyday leisure also reflects a spreading belief that the future is impossible to predict. Many North Korean women now feel they should spend money while they have it and enjoy themselves while they can. Some have even been telling one another not to worry about an unseen future. Another currency exchange, they say, could turn them all into beggars overnight.
That fear traces back to the currency redenomination North Korean authorities carried out in November 2009. The reform cut two zeros from the won and strictly capped how much old cash each household could exchange. Prices soared and markets were thrown into chaos, leaving many North Koreans in serious economic trouble.
Those who had saved cash and suffered heavy losses at the time still appear to fear a similar shock. Recurring rumors of another redenomination have kept that anxiety alive for years. The rumors have also pushed many North Koreans to shun the won in favor of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollars.
“These days people feel that a bolt from the blue could hit at any moment, just like during the currency exchange,” the source said. “So quite a few of them would rather spend and enjoy themselves while they have the means. They don’t want to sit around worrying about the future and saving their money.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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October 30, 2026 at 12:55AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)