Satellite Images Track 80-Meter Pool Ship Near Kim Jong Un's Wonsan Villa

A floating pool beside the leadership's coastal retreat

An 80-meter leisure vessel carrying a swimming pool with four lanes and several water slides has been repeatedly spotted near North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's family compound in Wonsan. Satellite images tracked the vessel near the Kalma Peninsula from early July to mid-October 2026, after months at a maintenance facility.

The pool measures about 50 meters, almost two thirds of the vessel's length. Three other large leisure vessels, measuring approximately 50, 55 and 60 meters, were also tracked around the coastal city and nearby islands. Together, their movements show a network of substantial recreational facilities close to residences long associated with North Korea's ruling family.

The findings, made public on October 18, draw on imagery from commercial satellite companies Planet Labs and Vantor. Former North Korean officials who have left the country associate the vessels with the leadership's summer recreation, describing a seasonal routine of winter storage followed by movement toward the family's coastal retreats.

North Korea has not publicly identified the vessels' owners, their purchase prices or the passengers aboard during the observed movements. The central finding is the repeated presence of large leisure vessels beside a restricted world of family residences, islands and coastal facilities.

That expensive recreational infrastructure sits in a country where United Nations estimates put the share of people suffering from inadequate nutrition at about 40%. For ordinary residents, even travelling beyond their home city or county requires official permission. The contrast involves access to food, transport and free time as much as access to luxury.

What the satellite images show

The largest vessel's most distinctive feature is its long rectangular pool, with four swimming lanes and multiple slides beside one end. Its 50-meter length equals 62.5% of the vessel's reported 80-meter length, giving a sense of how much of the craft is devoted to recreation.

Images taken while the vessel was at a Wonsan maintenance facility helped establish its dimensions. Later images placed it near the Kalma Peninsula, close to a large villa complex used by Kim and his family. It was observed there repeatedly through the middle of October.

The other vessels were spread across the surrounding waters. The craft measuring 50 and 55 meters appeared near Daedo and Sindo, islands around the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, from late July through August. The 60-meter vessel was also observed near the Wonsan residence.

Small boats were reported moving people, fuel and supplies to the larger vessels. Such transfers provide a practical connection between shore facilities and leisure craft offshore. The nearby islands also offer secluded places to spend time away from the mainland.

From winter storage to summer activity

The 80-meter vessel's movements followed a seasonal pattern described by Ri Jong Ho, head of the Korea Prosperity Development Center. Ri previously worked at an institution under the Workers' Party's Office 39, which handles foreign currency procurement and financial affairs associated with the leadership.

Ri described how large vessels had been moved between maintenance facilities and the coastal residences:

In the past, large vessels would be moored at maintenance facilities during the winter and then move to Kim Jong Un's villa or toward the Kalma Peninsula in the summer.

The observations give the following timeline:

• October 2025 to June 2026: The 80-meter vessel was moored at a Wonsan maintenance facility.
• Early July 2026: It left the facility and appeared near the Kalma Peninsula, close to the family residence.
• Late July to August 2026: The 50-meter and 55-meter vessels were observed near Daedo and Sindo.
• July to mid-October 2026: Satellite images repeatedly captured the largest vessel in the coastal area.
• October 18, 2026: The findings were made public.

The busiest periods around the vessels reportedly overlapped with stretches when Kim was absent from public view. North Korean state media generally present his visits to resorts as inspections or official guidance rather than describing private holidays.

Who has access to the vessels?

Ri linked the vessels to recreation for the country's highest leadership. Drawing on his experience inside the system, he described them as:

the kind used by the supreme leader to enjoy summer vacations, not by ordinary residents or institutions.

Family members, close aides and senior officials personally invited by Kim could also use the vessels, Ri said. He recalled that a selected group of associates had accompanied Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, on holidays during the previous leadership.

Kim Geum Hyeok, a North Korean defector and media spokesperson for South Korea's People Power Party, also described access as tightly controlled. He said it was unrealistic to imagine other senior officials freely using assets reserved for the leader's family.

The two accounts describe privilege governed by personal invitation. An official joining the leader for recreation would have a different position from someone independently deciding to use a family vessel. Money and senior rank alone would offer little freedom around assets assigned to the leadership.

Why Wonsan matters to the Kim family

Wonsan has served as a retreat for the ruling family since Kim Jong Il's time in power. Accounts of Kim Jong Un's childhood place him there with his older brother, Kim Jong Chol, his sister, Kim Yo Jong, and their mother, Ko Yong Hui.

The city's connection with the family helps explain why several large leisure vessels would gather around the same stretch of coast. Residences, maintenance facilities and nearby islands provide places to stay, service vessels and spend time offshore.

A former guard at Kim Jong Il's Wonsan residence has also described recreational activity there during the earlier leadership. The defector said he spent 13 years guarding the residence, from the 1990s into the early 2000s, and recalled seeing dozens of children and teenagers water skiing during summer.

His recollection adds a longer history to the recent images. Water recreation around the residences was part of life for people with access to the family compound well before the latest vessels were tracked.

Dennis Rodman's account of a week in Wonsan

Dennis Rodman, the former NBA player who visited North Korea several times, offered a rare visitor's description of the same coastal setting. He said he spent most of a seven day visit in September 2013 with Kim around Wonsan, taking part in parties, jet skiing and horse riding.

Rodman also described travelling aboard a vessel about 60 meters long. His comparison was:

a cross between a ferry and a Disney cruise ship.

Whether the vessel Rodman used is the same 60-meter craft recently tracked near Wonsan remains unknown. His account nevertheless supplies a concrete description of the scale and recreational character of vessels used during an earlier visit with Kim.

How much might such vessels cost?

Comparable luxury yachts can sell for tens of millions of dollars, with some exceeding $100 million. A figure of about $100 million has been cited as a comparison for vessels of similar scale to those observed near Wonsan.

A smaller vessel associated with Kim provides another price reference. A 29-meter Princess yacht reportedly used during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit in July 2025 was estimated to be worth about $7 million.

The 80-meter vessel is approximately 2.8 times as long as that 29-meter yacht. Its large swimming pool and slides also give it a different layout and purpose. Construction, equipment, age and condition all affect a vessel's value, so length alone offers only a rough comparison.

The vessels also require continuing support. Winter maintenance, fuel deliveries and transfers of people and supplies point to facilities and personnel needed to keep them operating beyond the initial purchase.

A resort nearby, but limited freedom to travel

The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone opened in July 2025, placing a large tourism development beside an area already associated with private leadership retreats. Its hotels, restaurants, water parks and sports facilities were designed to accommodate about 20,000 visitors.

Some domestic visitors were reportedly offered stays of four nights for around $100. United Nations estimates put North Korea's GDP per person in 2024 at approximately $667. On those figures, the advertised stay would equal about 15% of annual economic output per person. GDP per person measures a country's output divided by its population; household earnings can be very different.

Russian tourists have also been permitted to visit, under arrangements that closely restrict contact with local residents. Ordinary North Koreans face their own barriers: travel outside their city or county requires advance authorisation, while accounts from defectors describe long breaks from work as unusual.

Workers are formally entitled to 14 days of annual leave, yet many struggle to obtain the time or money to take a holiday. A resort's capacity therefore offers only part of the picture. Permission to travel, time away from work and the cost of a stay determine who can actually reach the coast.

A 2025 UN report estimated that about 40% of North Korea's population faced inadequate nutrition associated with chronic food shortages. Beside those daily pressures, the Wonsan vessels illustrate how access to recreation is concentrated around the leadership, its family and invited guests.

Key Points

• Satellite imagery tracked an 80-meter leisure vessel with a swimming pool measuring 50 meters and several water slides near Kim Jong Un's Wonsan residence.
• Three other vessels, measuring approximately 50, 55 and 60 meters, were observed in nearby waters.
• The largest vessel moved from winter maintenance to the Kalma Peninsula in early July 2026 and was repeatedly seen through mid-October.
• Former officials associate the vessels with recreation for the leader, his family and selected guests.
• Ownership, actual purchase prices and passenger identities have not been publicly disclosed.
• The nearby tourism resort operates in a country where travel requires permission and about 40% of people face inadequate nutrition, according to UN estimates.