Floating Palaces in the Hermit Kingdom

While state media in Pyongyang endlessly projects the image of a selfless leader sacrificing every waking moment for the republic, orbiters thousands of miles above tell a distinctly different story. High-resolution satellite imagery from recent months reveals an impressive nautical parade floating quietly off the Wonsan coast. At the center of this fleet sits an 80-metre luxury vessel, complete with a 50-metre swimming pool and a cluster of waterslides.

Between July and mid-October, analysts tracked this massive yacht moving from a shipyard maintenance dock to the waters along the Kalma Peninsula, directly adjacent to Kim Jong Un’s sprawling private estate. It was not alone. Satellite data analysed by the BBC identified three additional large ships measuring 50, 55, and 60 metres operating in the area. Smaller tenders were seen ferrying supplies, fuel, and passengers to the vessels as they anchored near the secluded shores of Tae and Sin islands, providing the necessary privacy for maritime leisure far from public scrutiny.

This coastal sanctuary is hardly a new invention. Biographers and former regime guards note that Wonsan has served as the retreat for the ruling dynasty since the era of Kim Jong Il. Historical satellite data shows similar luxury craft stationed there as far back as 2002. Former NBA player Dennis Rodman, who visited Kim in Wonsan in 2013, described days filled with jet-skiing, horseback riding, and outings on a 60-metre boat resembling a cross between a ferry and a Disney vessel.

The financial dimension of this maritime indulgence highlights the structural absurdities of the regime. Comparable luxury yachts command prices ranging from tens of millions to well over 100 million dollars. Meanwhile, the United Nations estimates North Korea’s per capita GDP at roughly 667 dollars in 2024—a small fraction of South Korea’s 36,227 dollars. A 2025 UN report highlights chronic food shortages leaving an estimated 40 percent of the population undernourished, alongside widespread forced labor and strict state controls.

For ordinary North Koreans, leisure itself remains tightly regulated. Although workers are nominally entitled to 14 days of annual leave, taking consecutive days off to travel is practically unheard of. Any movement outside one's home city requires official government permits. Even the newly opened Wonsan Kalma resort, which hosted small groups of Russian tourists and offered local packages for around 100 dollars, remains economically inaccessible to the vast majority.

The regime continues to mask these private holidays under the official guise of on-site guidance and inspections. Yet as long as high-resolution optics orbit the earth, the gap between socialist ascetism and nautical decadence remains clearly documented.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com