North Korean leader Kim Jong Un likely hosted a gathering or enjoyed luxurious amenities at his east coast Wonsan beach mansion this week around the same time he was in the area to inspect a missile test and an upgraded weapons factory, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery.

Planet Labs imagery shows that one of Kim’s custom megayachts made a rare trip to his Wonsan mansion’s private beach earlier this week, where it could have been used for a party similar to others seen in the same place in the past.

It remained there while he watched an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) test near Sondok Airport to the north on Feb. 14 and visited a recently rebuilt weapons plant in Hamhung called the Tonghungsan Machine Factory.

The revelations shed light on the Kim family’s wealth and privilege amid the leader’s public comments on economic hardships and a growing wealth gap, while showing that the Sondok military base remains one of the country’s key facilities for missile development.

BACK TO THE BEACH

Kim’s 50-meter custom megayacht was moved between Feb. 10 and 12 from his private Wonsan marina to inside a beach cove by his nearby mansion ahead of his public activities in the area, Planet Labs imagery shows.

It appeared in a slightly different position in another image taken on Feb. 14, next to his 60-meter yacht that has stayed permanently anchored perpendicular to the beach in recent years.

The blue-roofed 50-meter vessel also appeared active at a nearby island last August when the DPRK leader was confirmed to be in the area. He or his family erected a giant inflatable water slide for a party on the same beach in Oct. 2020.

It’s unclear exactly what this ship looks like under its blue protective covering, but testimony from visitors such as U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman has detailed that his custom megayachts feature kitchens, lounges and swimming pools with luxurious trimmings.

The activity at his beach this week may have involved the leader hosting guests such as those responsible for the Feb. 14 missile test, though it could have also been wife, daughter or other family members.

Kim built a new beach mansion just to the north on the Hodo Peninsula in 2019.

It is likely that he is also using other mansions in Hamhung during trips to the area after he built a new private train station there last year, while he has frequently used one nearby beach mansion for missile tests in recent years and upgraded another up the coast in 2020.

MISSILE TEST LOCATION

NK Pro has geolocated state media images of a tracked transporter erector launcher (TEL) firing new Padasuri-6 ASCMs on Feb. 14 to a military base just south of the Sondok Airbase runway. 

The airbase, located to the north of Wonsan and south of Hamhung, as well as surrounding fields, have been used for past missile tests, including in March 2020, Aug. 2019 and May 2017. 

Twitter user @kor_images previously noted that Nov. 2019 Google Earth imagery showed the military had temporarily set up camouflaged structures in the same area immediately surrounding the TEL location. It’s possible that structures covered in grass in the area could be used to house missile launchers as part of North Korea’s coastal defense system.

State TV also published two images of a target ship used during the missile test, showing the navy used a ship that weapons expert Dave Schmerler reported last year was being prepared for a test. 

The ship has been moored in recent years at a naval base on Mayang Island across from the Sinpho shipyard, around 43 miles (70 km) to the northeast of Wednesday’s launch spot. State media said it flew for 1,400 seconds (around 23 minutes), which weapons expert Ankit Panda said indicates it has a range of up to 250 miles (400 km).

The target ship did not appear to create a wake in the two published photos, suggesting it was not moving at the time. The U.S., by comparison, has published extensive video footage of a Tomahawk cruise missile striking a moving target at sea in order to demonstrate its capabilities.

FACTORY UPGRADES

Planet Labs satellite imagery also shows that construction on the weapons factory Kim visited in Hamhung this week has largely wrapped up since his previous public visit last August.

A major project to build dozens of new production and worker facilities above ground at the Tonghungsan Machine Factory, next to the underground missile production line tunnels, started after Kim visited in 2016 and did not appear finished by his visit last year.

High-resolution Planet Labs imagery taken last October reveals that activity increased after his 2023 visit, with crates or materials moving around outside numerous buildings, but that these areas and a sports field in the center of the complex were cleaned up by Jan. 2024.

The purpose of this new above-ground complex is still unclear, and none of the state media photos of Kim’s visit published Thursday appeared to have been taken in the new buildings. 

They instead showed him once again inspecting multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) shell production.

By printing side-by-side reports of the missile test and factory inspection on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun on Thursday, it is possible that state media was implying the factory is involved in manufacturing the new Padasuri-6 ASCM.

Edited by Alannah Hill