A large, luxurious pool boat that Kim Jong Un once enjoyed with U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman was moved back in front of Kim’s private beach in Wonsan on Monday, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, a sign the North Korean leader may soon travel to the east coast for pleasure or for economic or military inspections. 

Sightings of Kim’s 60-meter (200 ft.) boat at his private beach have been a solid indicator of the DPRK leader’s location over the years, as Kim has made public appearances along the east coast near Wonsan on 15 of 19 occasions where the boat was observed there in daily Planet Labs satellite imagery since 2017.

One notable appearance was in July 2019, when a large gathering was spotted on the boat’s deck on the same day Kim inspected a new military submarine up the coast in Sinpho. The vessel was also visible in Oct. 2020 at a private beach alongside an inflatable waterslide, just after Kim visited Sinpho again and told the nation to prepare for tough economic times.

This particular luxury boat was docked at Kim’s private Wonsan beach for an abnormally long period of almost five consecutive months in 2020. Perhaps Pyongyang realized the boat can be used to track the North Korean leader’s movements and so left it there to confuse satellite forensics experts. It was around that time that rumors were swirling that Kim was suffering from health problems. 

If it’s Kim Jong Un himself and not just his family who plan to use the luxury boat in Wonsan soon, Kim may use the occasion to attend military drills, missile tests or inspections of nearby economic development spots such as the long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma beach tourist zone. 

State media may or may not report on such visits, especially since Kim has largely shunned on-site inspections since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year. The last time Kim Jong Un appeared in public was reportedly on May 6 for a group photo taken in Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, the 60-meter pool boat appeared to undergo repairs or upgrades at a special dock in the central Wonsan Bay both recently in March 2021 and previously in April 2020, according to Planet Labs imagery. 

In addition to this boat, NK Pro has found that a similar one measuring 55 meters long (180 ft.) was fitted with a new, larger canopy in April 2021. Another leisure boat featuring a pair of twisting waterslides and an olympic-sized pool was upgraded last summer.

SUBMARINE VISIT?

If the 60-meter ship has been brought out for an imminent visit to Wonsan by the North Korean leader, Kim could also take time out to return up the coast to the Sinpho submarine development base, where there has been increased activity since March. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported last month that U.S. and ROK intelligence sources believe North Korea has completed a new submarine that was first revealed during Kim’s July 2019 inspection of Sinpho.

Now, NK Pro has detected another possible uptick in activity, as a floating drydock appeared between May 7 and 10 in front of a submarine construction hall at the Sinpho shipyard. 

38 North reported in March that the drydock has rarely moved in recent years, and that its appearance at the construction hall quay could be related to preparations for a new submarine or submarine-launched ballistic missile test. NK Pro analysis of available Planet Labs imagery shows that the drydock only left its typical parking spot on four occasions since 2016, including recently from March to April 2021.

Edited by Arius Derr