Satellite images have repeatedly shown an 80-metre luxury vessel off North Korea’s Wonsan coast from July to mid-October this year, featuring a 50-metre swimming pool and waterslides along its deck.
The vessel had remained idle for months at a maintenance facility before moving in early July to waters off the Kalma Peninsula, near a seaside resort with a sprawling villa used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family.
It was among several large vessels repeatedly spotted near the villa in satellite images analysed by the BBC. Former North Korean officials, defectors and experts believe the vessels are used by Kim and his family, saying it would be difficult for people outside the regime’s leadership to own or freely use vessels of this size.
“In winter, they would keep them at the shipyard. When summer came, they would bring them out and move them to Kim Jong Un’s villa or towards Kalma, and use them for swimming and recreation,” said Ri Jong Ho, a former official at the Workers’ Party’s Office 39, which is believed to be involved in raising and managing foreign currency for the leadership.
Luxury vessels contrast with widespread hardship
The wealth of North Korea’s leadership is difficult to establish, just as the country’s economic figures are hard to verify. The United Nations and other organisations rely on estimates to classify North Korea as one of the world’s poorest countries, while the country maintains a large military budget to fund its sanctioned nuclear programme.
A 2025 United Nations report said most North Koreans faced “systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations”, including total state control, widespread forced labour and chronic food shortages that leave an estimated 40% of the population undernourished.
The cost of the vessels seen in the satellite images is unknown, but comparable luxury yachts can cost tens of millions of dollars to more than US$100 million. Kim’s much smaller, 29-metre Princess yacht was previously estimated to be worth about US$7 million.
Although vessel locations alone cannot confirm the family’s whereabouts, their movements overlap with gaps in Kim’s public appearances, offering clues about activities that might otherwise remain out of public view.
Wonsan is where Kim spent part of his childhood with his mother, according to biographers and intelligence reports. One expert told the BBC that the city had been associated with the family since the rule of his father, Kim Jong Il.
A defector who spent 13 years guarding residences used by Kim Jong Il from the 1990s to the early 2000s told the BBC that villas around Wonsan served as retreats for the elite. He recalled seeing dozens of children and teenagers waterskiing during summer.
Satellite images track four vessels
The BBC tracked four large vessels around Wonsan, measuring approximately 50 metres, 55 metres, 60 metres and 80 metres. All four repeatedly appeared near Kim’s Wonsan villa this year.
The largest vessel showed the clearest activity, moving from the maintenance dock to waters off the Kalma Peninsula, where it has remained since July.
Two other vessels, measuring 50 metres and 55 metres, were repeatedly seen near Tae and Sin islands, close to Wonsan, until the end of August. Satellite images also showed four smaller boats alongside the 50-metre vessel.
Satellite imagery expert Jeong Seong-hak said the smaller boats transported people, fuel and supplies to the larger vessel. He added that small islands such as Tae and Sin offered “secluded maritime retreats where privacy can be maintained away from public view”.
The 60-metre vessel was repeatedly spotted near Kim’s Wonsan villa as recently as last week.
North Korea has never publicly disclosed the vessels’ official ownership. However, the BBC’s analysis of historical satellite imagery found a large vessel with the same distinctive characteristics in Wonsan in 2002, during Kim Jong Il’s rule.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited North Korea in 2013, told The Sun that he spent much of his seven-day visit with Kim Jong Un around Wonsan, where they went jet-skiing and horse riding.
Rodman also described a 60-metre vessel they used as a cross between a ferry and a Disney boat. It remains unclear whether it was the same 60-metre vessel seen in the satellite images.
Holidays remain out of reach for most North Koreans
North Korean state media rarely reports Kim taking holidays, instead presenting his visits as official inspections or guidance. However, defectors interviewed by the BBC said they knew the family spent holidays in Wonsan, suggesting that at least some North Koreans were aware of these trips.
State media describes Wonsan as a resort with high-rise hotels, restaurants, shops, sports facilities and water parks, capable of accommodating nearly 20,000 visitors. The Wonsan Kalma resort opened in July 2025 and has since been featured in state media and Russian reports showing small groups of Russian tourists visiting the area. Although developed to attract foreign visitors, it is also open to local tourists.
A South Korean news report, citing an unnamed source, said some local residents were offered four-night tour packages for about US$100, a substantial sum for most North Koreans.
North Korea’s per capita gross domestic product was about US$667 in 2024, according to the United Nations, compared with US$36,227 in South Korea.
For most North Koreans, holidays remain out of reach. Although a growing middle class exists, many people have limited opportunities for leisure.
Defectors told the BBC that workers, office employees and cooperative farmers are legally entitled to 14 days of annual leave, but this entitlement is rarely honoured. Taking consecutive days off to travel is unusual, with people more likely to take weekend trips or travel during national holidays.
Travel is also restricted, as official permission is required to leave one’s city or county. The ability to move freely can itself be a luxury.
“Kim Jong Un is supposed to be a ‘leader of the people’,” Ri said, “yet he has four luxury vessels like these while ordinary people are struggling just to get one meal a day.”
