Kim Jong Un's Boat At His Private Beach Resort

Image of Kim Jong Un's ship (Source: NKNews.org)

JAKARTA - Slowly but surely, the mystery of the whereabouts of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has begun to unfold. Once rumored to be dead, now there are reports showing the sighting of the ship belonging to Kim Il Sung's grandson at his private beach resort.

Previously, speculation about Kim's existence and health became the talk of the international public. The reason is, there is no news that Kim attended the birthday celebration of his grandfather, the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung on April 15. Even though it is an important moment that is usually celebrated by the state.

However, the day before yesterday, April 28, the North Korean monitoring website NK Pro reported capturing satellite imagery showing Kim's ships near Wonsan. Monitoring of the moving image pattern from the satellite indicated he and his entourage were likely to be in the Wonsan area.

The luxury ship frequently used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his entourage can be seen near the Wonsan Beach resort. This indicates he recently visited his private villa off the coast near Wonsan.

The news reinforces reports from the US-based monitoring website for North Korea, 38 North. Previously, satellite images showed Kim's private train parked at a station near his private villa.

South Korean and US authorities agree that Kim might be there. They speculate that Kim will stay there to escape the COVID-19 pandemic. They thought this made more sense than the news that Kim was seriously ill or even died.

According to experts and satellite imagery observations, Kim's private beach complex on the east coast of the country is lined with villas. It has many amenities such as a private beach, basketball court, and a private train station.

Last year, an airstrip was leveled to build a racetrack. No less luxurious, there is also a storage area for the luxury yacht Kim's Princess 95, which is valued at US $ 10.7 million.

"This is one of his favorite houses," said Stimson Center North Korean leadership expert Michael Madden was quoted as saying by ABC News. He believes Kim has about 13 important transit places in his country. Although only about half of it is used frequently.

Wonsan made a sense of the place for Kim to stay temporarily as he could return quickly to Pyongyang from there, using his private train. Madden said of Wonsan he could also use a special highway for the Kim family or high-ranking officials to use.

The city is a symbol of the Kim dynasty. It was there that Kim Il Sung built North Korea at the end of the Japanese colonial rule in 1945. He first landed there with Soviet troops to take over the country.