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News Kim Jong Un’s Princess yacht appears to sail to island retreat: ImageryNorth Korean leader likely only one to use luxury yacht, adding to evidence Kim vacationing amid COVID lockdown One of Kim Jong Un’s multimillion-dollar Princess-brand yachts appeared to travel from his Wonsan beachside mansion to a secluded island on Wednesday, new satellite imagery shows, adding to evidence that the North Korean leader has been on the east coast following days of increased activity around his megayachts. The U.K.-made yacht’s $7 million price tag and the fact that it is stored at Kim’s mansion marina suggest that it is for his exclusive use. This points to the possibility that he has been vacationing on the east coast this week, even as much of the country remains under lockdown orders to fight a deadly COVID-19 outbreak. Planet Labs satellite imagery taken on June 1 shows the visible wake of a large boat emerging from the waters off Kim’s main Wonsan mansion compound, looping around Wonsan’s Kalma Peninsula before moving up to Tae Island, where his other megayachts have been active since mid-May. ![]() ![]() ![]() Another image taken minutes later shows a roughly 26-meter (85-foot) white yacht stopped near a blue-roofed 50-meter (165-foot) megayacht anchored near the island. The white yacht’s dimensions match that of one of Kim’s two known Princess yachts, which he is believed to have imported in the early years of his rule. While it’s possible Kim Jong Un’s barge-like megayachts — custom-built, tow-only crafts ranging from 50 to 80 meters long (165 to 265 feet) — could be used to host special guests at Tae Island without the DPRK leader in attendance, it’s likely the more luxurious Princess yachts are reserved for his or his family’s exclusive use. The new images showing the white yacht in motion also shed light on similar activity at the same location on May 27, suggesting the Princess yacht was in use on that date as well and that Kim Jong Un may have been present. Kim’s activities on June 1 are unaccounted for in state media. His last public appearance was at a politburo meeting on May 29. Edited by Bryan Betts © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. |








