Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has refuted recent Western media reports claiming that North Korea closed its brand-new Wonsan-Kalma beach resort to foreign tourists after a visit from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Bloomberg and AP ran a story on Friday citing North Korean tourism authorities claiming the resort was “temporarily not receiving foreign guests,” with Bloomberg linking the closure to the minister’s visit.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has since stated that the suspension had nothing to do with the diplomatic trip but was rather due to COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place in North Korea since February of 2020. It noted, however, that “an exception has been made for tourists from the Russian Federation, who have been visiting the country since early 2024.”

“US media outlets affiliated with American intelligence services have spread disinformation,” Zakharova told journalists. The diplomat went on to describe the claim as “classic lies” and “a crude fake,” most likely driven by “nothing more than the spite” of Washington’s military and political elite, which “has seen their strategy of pressuring North Korea fail.”

Lavrov became the first high-profile foreign guest to tour the resort since it opened to visitors earlier this month. Zakharova accompanied the top diplomat and posted photographs from the resort on her Telegram channel.

The trip was intended to highlight the growing cooperation between the two countries since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.

During talks with North Korean officials, Lavrov described the facility as “great,” saying Russia would help boost tourism and transport links with the DPRK.

Direct flights currently operate between Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok and Pyongyang. Some 1500 Russian tourists visited North Korea last year, according to the deputy governor of the Primorye Region, where Vladivostok is located.

Russia’s Nordwind Airlines is set to launch direct service from Moscow to the North Korean capital later this month.

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