Recent satellite imagery analysis has repeatedly tracked an 80-meter luxury vessel equipped with a large swimming pool and waterslides off the coast of Wonsan, North Korea. The vessel, along with several other large boats ranging from 50 to 60 meters, has been spotted near a sprawling coastal compound allegedly used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family. Former officials and defectors note that ownership of such massive and expensive maritime assets is strictly limited to the absolute highest tiers of the ruling elite.
According to Ri Jong Ho, a former official tied to the administration's financial operations, these luxury vessels are typically kept in shipyards during the winter months and relocated to Wonsan or the Kalma Peninsula for summer recreation. Wonsan has long served as a private retreat for the leadership, a region with deep personal associations dating back to previous generations of the ruling family. Observers point out that smaller support boats are regularly deployed to ferry supplies, fuel, and visitors to these secluded floating retreats, maintaining total privacy away from public scrutiny.
This lavish display of wealth sharply contrasts with international reports depicting widespread economic hardship and chronic food shortages affecting a significant portion of North Korea's population. While United Nations assessments highlight severe systemic restrictions and impoverished living conditions for ordinary citizens, the ruling circle reportedly enjoys access to exclusive resorts, water parks, and leisure activities that remain entirely unimaginable and out of reach for the general public.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk