Kangwon Province · North Korea
Wonsan travel guide
Wonsan is a city in Kangwon Province, North Korea, home to about 363,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- WOS4 km · Wonsan Kalma Airport
- Currency
- KPWNorth Korean won
- Time zone
- Asia/Pyongyang
- Language
- Korean, North Korean standard language
About
About Wonsan
Wonsan (Korean pronunciation: [wʌn.san]), previously known as Wonsanjin (元山津), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwon Province, North Korea, on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan. It is the provincial capital.
This is a major port city, naval base and administrative capital of Kangwon Province. It is an area rarely visited by foreign tourists. The siege of Wonsan during the Korean War was the longest in modern American naval history. In 2025, North Korea inaugurated the Wonsan Kalma beach resort complex, complete with a water park. For time being the park is open only to Russian and Chinese visitors.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Wonsan
See
- Songdowon International Children's Union Camp
- Chonsam Cooperative Farm
- Haean Fun Fair
- Wonsan History Museum
Do
- Wonsan Beach
- Masik Ski Resort
- Wonsan Air Festival
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Wonsan
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Tongymyong Hotel | 3.4 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Wonsan
Wonsan has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 27 °C; August is the wettest, with about 305 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Wonsan: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Wonsan Kalma Airport (WOS), about 4.1 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sondok Airport (DSO, 67 km) is also within reach.
Getting in
There are a few train stations connected to the rest of the country and to the capital Pyongyang, including Wonsan Station and Galma Station. There is a ferry from Wonsan to Niigata in Japan called the Mangyongbong-92 that sails 20-30 times a year. It is generally restricted to Japanese nationals with a current family connection to North Korea. The crossing takes about 28 hours.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
WOS · Wonsan Kalma Airport
DSO · Sondok Airport
Questions
Wonsan: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Wonsan?
Wonsan has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 27 °C; August is the wettest, with about 305 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Wonsan?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Wonsan Kalma Airport (WOS), about 4.1 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sondok Airport (DSO, 67 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Wonsan?
North Korean won (KPW).
Nearby
Destinations near Wonsan
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.