Satellite images show luxury yacht with 50m pool near Kim Jong Un's summer retreat in North Korea

Satellite images analysed by the BBC show an 80-metre luxury vessel repeatedly spotted off the coast of Wonsan, a seaside resort city on North Korea's east coast, from July to mid-October this year. The ship has a 50-metre swimming pool along its deck, with a cluster of water slides at one end. Wonsan is home to a sprawling villa used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family. The images offer a rare glimpse of the elite lifestyle in a secretive state where a large share of the population suffers from food shortages.

Where the vessels were seen

After months at a maintenance facility, the largest vessel moved in early July to waters off the Kalma Peninsula, near Wonsan. The BBC tracked four large vessels in total, measuring roughly 50m, 55m, 60m and 80m. All four appeared repeatedly around Kim's Wonsan villa this year. Two of them, the 50m and 55m vessels, were seen near Tae and Sin islands until the end of August. The 60m vessel was spotted near the villa as recently as last week.

Satellite imagery expert Jeong Seong-hak said smaller boats ferried people, fuel and supplies to the larger vessels, while small islands offered secluded retreats where privacy could be kept away from public view.

Who uses them

North Korea has never publicly disclosed who owns the vessels. Former officials, defectors and experts believe Kim and his family use them, saying it would be hard for anyone outside the leadership to own or freely use ships of this size. Ri Jong Ho, a former official at the Workers' Party's Office 39, says the vessels were kept at the shipyard in winter and brought out in summer for swimming and recreation near Kim's villa or Kalma. The BBC's analysis of historical imagery found a large vessel with the same distinctive features in Wonsan in 2002, when Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, ruled the country.

Contrast with everyday life

A 2025 UN report estimates that about 40% of North Koreans are undernourished. The country's per capita GDP was around $667 in 2024, according to the UN. Workers are legally entitled to 14 days of annual leave, but defectors say this is rarely respected, and travelling outside one's city or county requires official permission.