North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s exclusive Wonsan villa compound saw continuous activity throughout his April “disappearance,” and, since his May 1 reappearance, new changes indicate he could be there once again, according to NK Pro analysis of recent satellite imagery.

Previous NK Pro analysis detailed Kim’s four large leisure boats — ranging from 50 to 80 meters long with pools and luxury lounge facilities — and a strong correlation between their movements in Wonsan and the DPRK leader’s known presence in the area.

New analysis finds that days after Kim appeared on May 1 across the country in Sunchon for the opening of a fertilizer factory, two of these leisure boats parked at the villa’s beach and at the central Wonsan docks switched places.

The move suggests Kim may have returned to Wonsan after Sunchon and that the boat, typically used at the villa over recent decades, was placed there once again for his immediate or expected use following repairs of its own in March.

As for Kim’s other giant luxury boats, NK Pro has additionally detected new progress this month on apparent upgrades to the largest of these crafts, which boasts twin twisting waterslides and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Recent satellite imagery also shows that the boat that was docked at the villa in April moved to the repair dock this week, suggesting more upgrades are in store ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer for the North Korean leader’s luxury watercraft.

The old switcheroo

A 60-meter-long trapezoid-shaped leisure boat that has been occasionally taken out from storage and docked at the Kim family’s Wonsan villa beach for over 20 years was, surprisingly, not the boat of choice for Kim Jong Un in April.

Instead, daily medium-resolution Planet Labs satellite imagery showed a 55-meter leisure boat with a green covered area in the center parked at the Wonsan villa from early April up until last week.

This was the boat that traveled to the spot of Kim’s newly-built secluded mansions up the coast over the last three summers.

Meanwhile, the 60-meter boat, having entered a separate repair area of the central Wonsan storage docks for around two weeks at the end of March, moved back to the parking area by April 2, according to Planet imagery.

But these two large leisure craft switched places between May 4 and 6, the imagery shows — after Kim’s appearance opening the Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory on May 1.

The 60-meter boat was still shown parked out front of the Wonsan villa on May 13.

The switch suggests Kim returned to Wonsan after Sunchon, given that one of the boats parked in that spot has coincided with Kim’s public appearances in the Wonsan area in seven of eight instances since last summer, including during its current outing in the second week of April this year. 

It is also possible, however, that the move was made merely in expectation of another visit from the North Korean leader, as NK Pro analysis has found that the boats stay out during known short interim periods where Kim leaves and later returns to Wonsan. 

But the switch may have also been made in order for the 55-meter boat to receive repairs or upgrades of its own, as Planet imagery also shows it moved between May 6 and 11 from an inner parking area at the central Wonsan docks to an adjacent repair hold.

As of May 13, Kim’s 80-meter waterslide pool boat was still undergoing upgrades in this spot — detailed in the next section — while the 55-meter boat remained parked just outside. 

The last time the 55-meter boat entered this area of the docks was in late May to early June 2017, ahead of its voyage out to the then-undeveloped spot of Kim’s new villa on the Hodo peninsula.

Before being replaced last week, on May 1 — just hours before an afternoon opening ceremony in Sunchon attended by Kim Jong Un — it appeared to be used at the main Wonsan villa for some sort of larger-than-usual gathering. 

In a high-resolution Planet Labs image (above) taken at 11:00 KST that day, the 55-meter leisure boat parked at the Wonsan villa is seen with various other boats and rafts attached on all sides.

Kim’s train was still seen at the same time at his private train station nearby, though it is unclear what method of transport he used to go to Sunchon or if he was indeed present at the Wonsan villa that morning.

The mega waterslide boat

The largest of Kim’s leisure craft still in service has been around for decades, used by his father Kim Jong Il in the 90s but also traveling to his main Wonsan villa and an island off the Kalma coast in recent years.

Some upgrades to the boat were made in the mid-2000s, according to Google Earth satellite imagery, but it otherwise appeared similar throughout the subsequent years, parked in the same spot at the central Wonsan storage docks. 

NK Pro reported earlier this month that it had gone in for what appeared to be some sort of dismantlement in preparation possibly for upgrades, as it is expected based on past patterns to be used at the North Korean leader’s mansions this summer. 

New imagery now suggests that, on the opposite end of the boat as the twisting waterslides, the floorspace of either the ground level or the multi-story structure was expanded after some sort of dismantlement.

While the May 1-dated Planet Labs high-resolution image still lacks enough definition to determine the precise character of the new construction on the boat, it is possible to determine that this section has grown.

This is because while dozens of Google Earth images of the boat parked at the Wonsan docks over recent decades show the ground level of the rear section had run parallel to the edge of the middle pool section, and was therefore the same width and height, the newest image is different.

In the new image, this end of the boat juts out beyond the line of the middle pool section, indicating that either it was built higher or a covering was added, appearing this way in the image due to the elevation angle of the shot, or that it has been built to be wider than the rest of the boat. 

As for the Olympic-sized pool floor, which was ripped up in recent weeks, it is unclear if it has been replaced, though its color appears to have changed between the April 24 and May 1 images.

The work could be significant if proven to be upgrades for use by Kim Jong Un and family or close associates, as citizens continue to undergo hardships while Kim’s leisurely activities at his mansions are kept secret from the North Korean people.

Edited by Oliver Hotham and James Fretwell