Kim Jong-un skirts UN ban with luxury yacht
North Korean leader pictured next to multimillion-dollar vessel despite UN sanctions on sales of exclusive goods
The incongruous appearance of a multimillion-dollar yacht at a North Korean fishery station is being cited as evidence that Kim Jong-un has inherited his late father's taste for the trappings of wealth, and that he's found a way to get around UN sanctions to satisfy them.
Spotted in the background of photos of Kim published by the state-run KCNA news agency, the vessel was identified by the NK News web site on Tuesday as a 29-metre Princess 95MY.
Built by British-based Princess Yachts, the 95MY is a slightly earlier version of the 98MY that the company presently sells for US$8.7 million - but is no less sumptuous. Secondhand versions of the 95MY go for up to US$7 million.
The vessel has four double berths, three with en-suite bathrooms, as well as accommodation for at least three other passengers. Princess PR images show leather sofas, a flat-screen television, discreet lighting and a dining table large enough to seat eight people.
The company's brochure describes the yacht - which has a cocktail bar - as "astonishingly graceful".
Kim's father, Kim Jong-il, was thwarted in his attempts to purchase luxury yachts as a result of the 2006 UN Security Council decision - Resolution 1718 - to ban the sale of luxury goods to North Korea.