Seoul — Satellite Images Show Luxury Yacht Near Kim Jong Un's Retreat

Satellite images analyzed by the BBC show a large vessel with a swimming pool and waterslides moving repeatedly near the summer villa of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un between July and mid-October this year, according to BBC News.

The vessel, described by BBC as roughly 80m (263ft) long, features a 50m swimming pool running along its deck with a cluster of waterslides at one end, the outlet reported. After sitting idle for months at a maintenance facility, the ship relocated in early July to waters off the Kalma Peninsula, a stretch of coastline near Wonsan where Kim's family maintains a villa, BBC said.

What do the satellite images show?

The BBC's analysis, credited to imagery from Vantor, tracked the vessel's movements from a shipyard to the waters near Kim's villa over several months. It was not alone: a handful of other large vessels were also repeatedly spotted near the villa during the same period, according to the outlet's review of the satellite record.

Who is believed to use the vessel?

BBC reported that former North Korean officials, defectors and experts say it would be difficult for anyone outside the country's leadership to own or use vessels of this size freely. Ri Jong Ho, a former official at the Workers' Party's Office 39 — a body believed to help raise and manage foreign currency for the leadership — described the seasonal pattern to the BBC.

"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," Ri told BBC News.

The outlet noted that vessel locations alone cannot definitively establish the family's whereabouts, but said the movements overlapped with gaps in Kim's public appearances.

What is Wonsan's history with the Kim family?

According to biographers and intelligence reports cited by BBC, Kim Jong Un spent part of his childhood in Wonsan with his mother, and the city has been associated with the family since the rule of his father, Kim Jong Il. A defector who guarded residences used by Kim Jong Il for 13 years, from the 1990s into the early 2000s, told BBC he recalled seeing dozens of children and teenagers waterskiing near the villas during summer.

North Korean state media rarely frames Kim's visits to the region as vacations, instead describing them as official inspections or guidance, BBC reported. Even so, defectors interviewed by the outlet said they were aware the family spent holidays in Wonsan, suggesting the practice is not entirely secret within the country.

How does this compare with Kim's other known vessels?

BBC noted that Kim previously used a smaller, 29-metre Princess-brand yacht estimated to be worth about $7m. The outlet said it does not know the cost of the newly tracked vessel, but comparable luxury yachts generally run from tens of millions of dollars to more than $100m.

What does this say about North Korea's economy?

BBC placed the findings against a backdrop of UN estimates that classify North Korea as one of the world's poorest countries, with a military budget large enough to fund a sanctioned nuclear program. A 2025 UN report cited by the outlet found that most North Koreans live under "systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations," including total state control, widespread forced labor and chronic food shortages that leave an estimated 40% of the population undernourished, according to BBC's reporting.

Glossary

• Office 39: A Workers' Party body believed to be involved in raising and managing foreign currency for North Korea's leadership, according to BBC's sourcing.
• Kalma Peninsula: A stretch of coastline near Wonsan, North Korea, close to a villa used by Kim Jong Un and his family.
• Wonsan: A seaside resort city in North Korea associated with the Kim family's leisure activities since the rule of Kim Jong Il.

BBC's full satellite imagery analysis, including comparison photos of the vessel's movements, is available in the originating BBC News report.

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