A spectacular swimming pool stretching across the deck on an 80-metre luxury vessel, complete with waterslides at one end, has emerged as a striking symbol of the privileged lifestyle enjoyed by North Korea ’s elite.
Wonsan holds a special place for Kim, who reportedly spent part of his childhood there. But this yacht is not alone. The boats are widely believed to serve North Korea’s supreme leader and his relatives.
Satellite images captured between July and mid-October 2026 show the vessel anchored off the Kalma Peninsular near Wonsan, a coastal city associated with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family, according to the BBC. Their exact value remains unknown, although comparable luxury yachts can cost tens of millions of dollars with some exceeding $100 million.
Several other large vessels were also spotted near a villa used by Kim and his family, according to the BBC’s analysis of satellite imagery.
Similar layers of control and caution define his preferred mode of long-distance travel: an armoured train designed to keep his journeys secure and tightly managed. A plane can be targeted mid-flight, but a train lets his teams control the tracks, the stops and the timing of every movement. Her presence made headlines back then with reports of resentment among the common public owing to her plush lifestyle. The luxuries stand in a sharp contrast to everyday life for ordinary North Koreans. Kim Jong Un’s trips are rarely portrayed as personal gateways in North Korea’s official media, which presents his appearances as part of his leadership duties.
Kim’s smaller, 29-metre Princess yacht was previously estimated to be worth around $7 million. Satellite imagery analysed by the BBC revealed four sizable vessels, ranging from roughly 50 to 80 metre in length, making repeated appearances near Kim Jong Un’s coastal residence in Wonsan throughout the year. As per a report by the Mirror, back in March 2023, Kim Jong Un’s daughter wore a Christian Dior velvet hoodie, worth nearly ₹ 2 lakh (£1,950) at a missile launch. Kim Ju Ae ’s patterned jacket hogged the limelight as she watched the launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport. A 2025 United Nations report stated widespread human rights abuses, forced labour and persistent food insecurity, estimating that 40 per cent of the population was undernourished.
Kim Jong Un still prefers to travel by rail, a tradition that gives him tighter control over both security and comfort than air travel allows, according to a BBC report. His armoured train, Taeyangho, meaning “Sun”, functions as a mobile office and residence, and can carry his bulletproof limousines. Kim’s rail security, according to NYT, runs on a three-train system: an advance train tests the tracks ahead, the main train carries Kim and his senior staff, and a trailing train carries additional bodyguards, medical staff and supplies.
