Satellite photos reveal that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s opulent private yacht is operational near his luxury villa in Wonsan, Kangwon Province.
U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on July. 8. (local time) that satellite images taken on June. 27. and July. 5. by the U.S. commercial satellite company Planet Labs confirmed the presence of an 80-meter-long yacht operating off the coast of Wonsan. The yacht was observed approximately 900 meters off the coast of the Kalma Peninsula on June. 27. and 500 meters from the Kalma villa on July. 5. The yacht likely operated more frequently than indicated by the satellite images.
This yacht, equipped with an international-grade swimming pool and a waterslide, is primarily used by Kim Jong-un’s family, though it occasionally hosts foreign dignitaries. Chung Sung-hak, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy, suggested that Kim Jong-un or his family likely use the private yacht for summer vacations at the Kalma villa during the hot summer months.
The dates of the yacht’s operations captured in the satellite photos do not align with Kim Jong-un’s official schedule. From June. 28. to July. 1., Kim Jong-un attended a plenary session and on July. 2., he and party leaders visited major factories and businesses. Considering his commitments to the plenary meetings, it is unlikely that Kim Jong-un boarded the yacht on June. 27.
Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), noted that Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, did not appear at any on-site inspections, suggesting that the family might have already begun their summer vacation. Alternatively, the yacht might have been tested in preparation for the leader’s summer break.
Meanwhile, North Korea reportedly owns four opulent vessels exclusively reserved for Kim Jong-un, measuring 50, 55, 60, and 80 meters in length. These boats are believed to have been launched in the 1990s, prior to the imposition of UN sanctions on North Korea. The recently sighted vessel measures 80 meters in length and 15 meters in width, featuring a swimming pool with four 50-meter lanes and a waterslide. When not in use, these yachts are maintained at the Wonsan docking area.
