An 80-meter luxury watercraft has repeatedly appeared in satellite images recorded off the coast of Wonsan, North Korea, from July to mid-October 2026.
Among the notable features of the ship was the 50-meter swimming pool along the deck and the waterslide at one end.
After lying idle in a maintenance dock for months, the ship was moved to an area off the eastern coastline known as the Kalma Peninsula in early July.
It's close to the seaside resort of Wonsan, where a large villa used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family is located.
This wasn't the only large watercraft on the move, either.
Satellite images analyzed by the BBC repeatedly showed other ships near Kim's villa.
These vessels are believed to be in the use of Kim and his family.
Some former executives and experts who have defected from North Korea say it would be difficult for anyone not affiliated with the regime's leadership to own or freely operate yachts of this size.
"They would keep them in the shipyard in the winter. When summer came, they would take them out to Kim Jong Un's villa or Kalma and use them for swimming and recreation," says Ring Jong Ho.
Ri was once a staffer in Labor Party office 39. This office is thought to play a role in providing and operating foreign currency for the party leadership.
Determining the wealth of those sitting at the top of North Korea's mysterious dictatorship is as difficult as determining the country's economic data.
The United Nations and other organizations rely on estimates to classify North Korea as one of the poorest countries in the world.
It is also pointed out that the country has a large military budget that can finance a nuclear program.
According to a 2025 United Nations report, most North Koreans live under "systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations."
An estimated 40% of the forced labor population under the full control of the state is believed to be in chronic food shortages.
However, it is known that the regime has been living in luxury for a long time.
We do not know the cost of the vehicles seen in satellite images, but prices for similar luxury marine vessels range from tens of millions of dollars to over 100 million dollars.
Kim's much smaller, 29-meter yacht Princess was previously estimated to be worth around $7 million.
Although the location of the ships alone cannot pinpoint the family's whereabouts, the movements of the vehicles that coincide with the gaps in Kim's public appearances are noteworthy.
According to biographers and intelligence reports, Kim Jong Un spent part of his childhood with his mother in Wonsan.
A North Korea expert told the BBC that the city has been associated with the family since the rule of his father, Kim Jong Il.
A fugitive official who served in unit 974, which guarded then-leader Kim Jong Il's residences for 13 years from the 1990s to the early 2000s, told the BBC that the villas around Wonsan were used as retreats by the elite.
The same official recalls seeing dozens of children and teenagers water skiing during the summer months.
North Korean state media rarely publishes reports that Kim is on vacation, instead characterizing such visits as official supervision or guidance.
North Korean defectors who have spoken to the BBC in the past appeared to be aware that the dynasty family was holidaying in Wonsan. This suggests that at least some North Koreans were aware of this.
North Korean state media also claim that Wonsan is home to high-rise hotels, restaurants, shops, sports facilities and water parks and can accommodate around 20 thousand visitors.
State media and Russian outlets also published images of small groups of Russian tourists visiting the Kalma resort in Wonsan, which opened in July 2025.
Although it was developed to attract foreign visitors, the resort is also open to domestic tourists.
A report from South Korea based on an anonymous source states that some North Koreans were offered four-night tour packages for around $100.
This is a significant amount for most North Koreans. According to the United Nations, the annual per capita income in the country is 667 dollars. This is far behind the income of $36,227 in neighboring South Korea.
So for the vast majority of North Koreans, vacation is out of reach. Although there is a growing middle class, they may not have time for leisure either.
Workers, office workers and co-operative farmers are legally entitled to 14 days annual leave, but this is rarely implemented, deserters told the BBC.
It is unusual to take consecutive days off and travel. People generally travel on weekend trips or national holidays rather than during periods designated as "summer holidays".
Even if permission is granted, travel is restricted and official permission is required for people to travel outside the city or province. Moving freely is sometimes as luxurious as the holiday itself.
The BBC tracked four large ships around Wonsan, measuring approximately 50 metres, 55 metres, 60 meters and 80 meters in length. All four ships have been spotted around Kim's villa in Wonsan multiple times this year.
The largest ship showed the most noticeable activity. It moved from the dock to the waters off Kalma Peninsula and has been there since July.
Two of the yachts, 50 meters and 55 meters long, were seen several times around Tae and Sin islands near Wonsan until the end of August.
Satellite images also showed four other smaller boats alongside the 50-meter ship.
Satellite imagery expert Jeong Seong-hak said small boats carry people, fuel and supplies to the larger ship, adding that small islands such as Tae and Sin offer "secluded maritime places away from the public eye, where privacy can be preserved."
The 60-meter ship was seen several times near Kim's villa in Wonsan until last week.
Although North Korea has never publicly acknowledged official ownership of the ships, BBC analysis of historical satellite images revealed that a large ship with the same distinctive features was found in Wonsan in 2002, when Kim Jong Il ruled North Korea.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited North Korea in 2013, told the Sun newspaper that he spent most of his seven-day visit around Wonsan with Kim Jong Un, and that they went jet skiing and horseback riding together.
They also mentioned a 60-foot ship that they described as a cross between a ferry and a Disney boat. It's unclear whether this is the same 60-foot ship seen in the satellite images above.
