In brief
High‑resolution satellite imagery from July to October shows a handful of oversized vessels, one 80 m long with a 50 m pool and water‑slides, mooring near Kim Jong Un’s seaside villa in Wonsan. Analysts say the ships, visible only to the regime’s inner circle, contrast sharply with UN reports that 40% of North Koreans are undernourished. While estimated costs for comparable yachts top $100 million, ordinary citizens struggle on a per‑capita GDP of just $667. The images underscore questions about resource allocation, human‑rights conditions and the regime’s opaque economy.
Satellite photographs taken between July and October 2026 have revealed a set of very large vessels—one measuring about 80 metres in length—stationed off the Wonsan coast in North Korea. The flagship 80‑metre craft carries a 50‑metre swimming pool on its deck, complete with several water‑slides, a feature that is hard to imagine in a country whose economy witnesses chronic food shortages.
After being idle at a maintenance yard for months, the ship moved in early July to waters off the Kalma Peninsula, an area immediately west of the sprawling villa used by Kim Jong Un and his family. The move coincides with the summer period in which the leader is known to vacation in Wonsan, a resort town historically linked to the Kim household since the reign of Kim Jong Il.
Satellite analysts have identified at least four other large vessels—approximately 50, 55, and 60 metres long—stationed near Wonsan’s villa and the nearby Tae and Sin islands. Smaller boats appear in the same images, ferrying supplies, fuel and passengers to the larger yachts. According to Jeong Seong‑hak, a satellite‑imagery expert, these smaller craft allow the boats to maintain a secluded, private retreat away from surveillance.
Defectors and former officials have long noted that ownership of vessels of this size is almost impossible for anyone outside the regime’s leadership elite. The U.N. report of 2025 documents systematic human‑rights violations in the country, with 40% of the population undernourished and a per‑capita GDP of roughly $667.
Estimates of comparable luxury yachts regionally range from tens of millions to over $100 million (£75 million). While the exact cost of the Wonsan vessels is unknown, even a 29‑metre yacht used previously by Kim should sit in the $7 million range. The presence of such expensive bright‑spot luxe starkly contrasts the daily living conditions faced by ordinary North Koreans.
For observers in the United States and other democracies, the images highlight the discrepancies in resource allocation within North Korea, questioning how state budgets prioritize defence and nuclear programmes at the expense of basic welfare. Within North Korea, state media rarely talks about holiday visits, framing them as official inspections, yet defectors recall shore‑side activities including jet‑skiing and horse‑riding along the coast.
These photographs serve as a stark visual reminder of the ongoing inequality between the privileged elite—potentially shipowners, office 39 officials and the Kim family—and the broader population that must endure scarcity and limited rights. They also fuel international debate over sanctions effectiveness and the role of transparency in a country often described as “closed.”
