- 7 weeks ago
Kim Jong Un's Family Is Richer Than You Think
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00You've seen billionaires, you've seen royalty, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to the secret lifestyle of Kim Jong-un.
00:07We're talking private islands, palaces with ski slopes, armoured limos, designer wardrobes, and yachts that put Bond villains to shame.
00:16While his people live on rice rations, the Kim dynasty lives like gods, and yet you'll never see his name on a Forbes list.
00:24Why? That's where the story gets insane.
00:26The hidden fortune behind the Iron Curtain
00:29When you think of the world's wealthiest individuals, names like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or Warren Buffett come to mind.
00:37But there's one name that's conspicuously absent from Forbes' billionaire lists, despite wielding more absolute power over an entire nation's resources than perhaps any other person on Earth.
00:49That name is Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea, whose family's hidden fortune would make even the most successful tech moguls pause in amazement.
01:00Picture this.
01:01While millions of North Koreans struggle with food insecurity and lack access to basic services, their leader maintains a lifestyle so extravagant that it rivals the most opulent royal families in history.
01:14A man who owns nearly 20 palatial residences commands a fleet of over 100 luxury vehicles and operates a global financial network so sophisticated that it spans multiple continents through hundreds of secret bank accounts.
01:30The mystery surrounding Kim Jong-un's wealth isn't just about numbers on a balance sheet.
01:36It's about understanding how a regime that appears economically isolated and internationally sanctioned has managed to accumulate billions of dollars while maintaining its grip on power.
01:48Research suggests Kim Jong-un's personal net worth is approximately $5 billion, a figure that has remained remarkably consistent since investigations began in 2013.
01:59But here's where it gets truly fascinating.
02:02This $5 billion estimate might actually be a dramatic understatement of the Kim family's true financial empire.
02:10The foundation of this incredible wealth story begins with understanding that North Korea isn't the communist state it pretends to be.
02:18Instead, it operates more like a massive corporate conglomerate with Kim Jong-un as its CEO,
02:24where every economic activity, every business transaction, and every resource extraction ultimately serves one primary purpose, generating cash for the Kim dynasty.
02:36This isn't speculation.
02:38This is the assessment of leading experts who have spent decades studying the hermit kingdom's economic machinery.
02:44To truly grasp the magnitude of this financial empire, we need to examine the multiple revenue streams that feed into the Kim family's coffers.
02:53The Kim family's wealth likely stems from control over North Korea's economy, including natural resources, state enterprises, and foreign bank accounts.
03:04But this is where the story becomes even more intriguing.
03:07These aren't your typical business operations.
03:10The regime has mastered what experts call a shadow economy that operates parallel to legitimate international commerce.
03:18Through a network of shell companies, diplomatic channels, and loyal operatives,
03:23the Kim family has created what amounts to a global financial spider web that's nearly impossible for international sanctions to completely disrupt.
03:32Reports say that Kim Jong-un maintains over 200 secret bank accounts in countries like China, Switzerland, and Singapore,
03:40allowing him to move money across borders with the kind of sophistication that would impress Wall Street financiers.
03:47But perhaps the most shocking aspect of this wealth accumulation isn't just the amounts involved,
03:53it's the stark contrast with North Korea's official economic statistics.
03:57North Korea's GDP in 2022 was about $28 billion,
04:03which means that Kim Jong-un's wealth potentially represents nearly 18% of his entire country's economic output.
04:11To put this in perspective, imagine if one American billionaire personally controlled wealth equivalent to nearly one-fifth of the entire United States economy.
04:21The disparity would be unprecedented in modern democratic societies.
04:26The lifestyle that this wealth enables is equally staggering.
04:30Kim owns private jets, yachts, and a fleet of luxury cars, including limousines reportedly gifted by foreign leaders.
04:38We're not talking about modest luxury here, but we're discussing assets that include a yacht valued between $4 million and $6 million,
04:47custom Mercedes-Maybach vehicles that can cost up to $1 million each,
04:52and an Aura Senat limousine gifted by Vladimir Putin valued at $300,000.
04:58The family's real estate portfolio alone would make real estate moguls envious.
05:03Kim Jong-un doesn't just own one or two lavish homes.
05:07He maintains nearly 20 palaces across North Korea, each designed for different purposes and seasons.
05:12These aren't simple mansions.
05:14They're vast complexes with private ski slopes, underground bunkers, luxury spas, and entertainment facilities that rival the most exclusive.
05:24Resorts in the world.
05:25What makes this wealth accumulation even more remarkable and deeply troubling is that it is occurring despite some of the most comprehensive and aggressive international sanctions ever imposed on a nation.
05:38Since 2006, the United Nations has implemented nine rounds of sanctions aimed specifically at crippling North Korea's access to global financial systems, weapons markets, and luxury goods.
05:51These sanctions were intended to isolate the regime economically and politically,
05:56making it increasingly difficult for the leadership to sustain its lavish lifestyle or fund its military ambitions.
06:03Yet against all odds, the Kim family has managed to circumvent these restrictions with astonishing success.
06:11Through a complex network of front companies, illicit shipping practices, and covert trading partners,
06:17they continue to smuggle in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of banned luxury items every year.
06:24This blatant defiance not only exposes the regime's resourcefulness,
06:28but also highlights the loopholes and enforcement failures in the global sanctions system.
06:34In 2012 alone, North Korea imported $645 million worth of banned luxury goods,
06:41demonstrating not just their ability to circumvent international restrictions,
06:45but their commitment to maintaining their extravagant lifestyle regardless of their people's suffering.
06:51This isn't just about personal indulgence.
06:54It's about projecting power and maintaining loyalty through a carefully orchestrated system of luxury gift-giving to key officials and supporters.
07:03The most disturbing aspect of this wealth story isn't just the staggering inequality it represents,
07:09but the deeply unethical and often brutal methods used to generate it.
07:14Unlike traditional billionaires who may have accumulated their fortunes through innovation,
07:19strategic investments, or legitimate entrepreneurship,
07:22The Kim family's wealth is rooted in a system that thrives on widespread manipulation, coercion, and outright criminal activities.
07:32This wealth has not been earned.
07:34It has been extracted through a well-organized machinery of exploitation that spans continents.
07:40The true scope of Kim Jong-un's financial empire extends far beyond mere bank accounts,
07:46lavish estates, or luxury goods.
07:48It operates as a shadow economy, driven by a vast and secretive global network of smuggling operations,
07:56cybercrime, illegal arms deals, counterfeit currency production, and forced labor schemes.
08:03These underground businesses generate billions, annually,
08:06evading international sanctions and scrutiny through a sophisticated web of shell companies,
08:12front organizations, and diplomatic cover.
08:14The complexity and audacity of this system are staggering.
08:18What might initially read like the plot of a high-stakes thriller is, in fact, a chilling and deeply troubling reality.
08:26This is not fiction.
08:27It is a system meticulously designed to fund a regime at the cost of immense human suffering and international instability.
08:36The Kim Dynasty's Lavish Lifestyle
08:38While the average North Korean survives on less than $2 per day,
08:43the entire Kim family lives in a realm of luxury that would make Roman emperors blush with envy.
08:49This isn't just about Kim Jong-un.
08:51It's about understanding how an entire dynasty has built a lifestyle of unimaginable wealth
08:56while ruling over one of the world's poorest nations.
08:59The Kim family's extravagance isn't just personal indulgence.
09:03It's a carefully orchestrated display of power that spans three generations.
09:09The Kim family's approach to wealth accumulation and display began with Kim Il-sung,
09:14the dynasty's founder, who established the template for living like royalty while preaching socialist equality.
09:21Kim Il-sung's palaces, built in the 1960s and 1970s,
09:26set the standard for architectural grandeur that his descendants would expand upon.
09:31His Kumsusan Palace, now serving as his mausoleum,
09:35was originally a working palace where he conducted state business
09:38while surrounded by imported Italian marble,
09:41crystal chandeliers worth millions,
09:44and furniture crafted by Europe's finest artisans.
09:48Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un's father,
09:51elevated the family's luxury lifestyle to new heights
09:54during his reign from 1994 to 2011.
09:58Known for his eccentric tastes and paranoid security measures,
10:02Kim Jong-il maintained 17 different palaces across North Korea,
10:07each equipped with identical furniture and supplies,
10:10so he could move between them unpredictably.
10:12His obsession with luxury cars led him to amass a collection of over 200 vehicles,
10:18including multiple Rolls-Royce models,
10:20Mercedes-Benz limousines,
10:22and even a custom-built train car equipped with a fully stocked bar and karaoke system.
10:27Kim Jong-il's culinary obsessions became legendary among international intelligence agencies.
10:33He employed a personal sushi chef who was flown in from Japan monthly,
10:38maintained a wine cellar with over 10,000 bottles valued at more than $750,000,
10:45and reportedly spent $700,000 annually on Hennessy Paradis Cognac alone.
10:51His staff included dedicated food tasters who ensured every meal was safe,
10:56and he maintained private farms across North Korea solely dedicated to producing ingredients for his table.
11:03But it's Kim Jong-un who has truly perfected the art of dynastic luxury,
11:07inheriting his father's palaces and expanding them into a network of compounds that function like private cities.
11:15Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, has emerged as one of the most powerful women in North Korea,
11:21and lives a lifestyle that mirrors her brother's extravagance.
11:25Often seen carrying designer handbags worth more than most North Koreans earn in a lifetime,
11:30Kim Yo-jong maintains her residence within the palace complex,
11:35complete with private staff and security detail.
11:38Kim Yo-jong's influence extends beyond politics into the family's luxury operations.
11:44Intelligence reports suggest she oversees much of the family's art collection,
11:48which includes stolen cultural artifacts from South Korea,
11:52original works by European masters,
11:55and contemporary pieces purchased through shell companies at international auctions.
12:00Her wardrobe, frequently analyzed by intelligence agencies,
12:04features custom-made clothing from European designers,
12:08and accessories that cost more than luxury cars.
12:11The Kim family's real estate empire spans three generations of accumulated wealth and power.
12:17Kim Jong-un's primary residence,
12:19The Ryongsong residence complex spans over 12 square kilometers
12:24and represents the culmination of decades of palace construction.
12:28The compound includes multiple swimming pools,
12:31a private movie theater capable of seating hundreds,
12:35underground bunkers equipped with the latest technology,
12:38and even a private ski slope maintained year-round regardless of weather conditions.
12:43What makes the Kim family's approach to luxury unique
12:46is how they've created separate but interconnected lifestyle bubbles for different family members.
12:53Kim Jong-un's wife, Ri Sol-ju, a former singer,
12:56maintains her wing of the palace complex with private gardens,
13:00a recording studio, and facilities for their three children.
13:04Intelligence reports suggest their children,
13:07two daughters and a son, are being raised in unprecedented luxury,
13:11with private tutors flown in from Europe,
13:13play areas equipped with toys worth more than most people's homes,
13:18and even a private zoo featuring exotic animals imported from around the world.
13:23The Kim family's extended relatives also benefit from this wealth system.
13:28Kim Jong-un's uncle, Kim Pyong-il,
13:30who was exiled to various diplomatic posts for decades,
13:34reportedly maintains luxury residences in multiple countries.
13:38His lifestyle, funded by family wealth, includes properties in Prague, Budapest,
13:44and other European cities,
13:45complete with staff, luxury vehicles,
13:48and entertainment budgets that exceed the GDP of small nations.
13:53Scattered across North Korea's landscape are nearly 20 palatial compounds
13:57built by the Kim family over six decades,
14:00each designed for specific purposes and seasons.
14:03The Wonsun Beach Resort Complex, built at a cost exceeding $200 million,
14:09features a private beach stretching for miles,
14:12complete with imported white sand from Thailand,
14:15and a marina housing the family's collection of luxury yachts.
14:19The resort includes a water park that rivals any international destination,
14:24complete with wave pools, lazy rivers,
14:27and slides that cost more than most countries spend on healthcare.
14:30The family's approach to luxury travel reveals the interconnected nature of their wealth.
14:36Kim Jong-un's transportation fleet includes over 30 armored Mercedes-Maybak S-class vehicles,
14:43but the family also maintains separate fleets for different members.
14:47Kim Yo-jong travels in her armored convoy,
14:49while Ri Sol-ju has access to a collection of luxury vehicles,
14:54specifically chosen for her diplomatic and social functions.
14:58The family's private train system, inherited from Kim Jong-il,
15:02includes multiple armored cars that can be configured for different family members' travel needs.
15:08The Kim family's children represent the next generation of dynastic luxury.
15:13Their education takes place in private facilities within the palace complex,
15:18with curricula that include languages, arts, and sciences taught by tutors
15:23who are among the world's leading experts in their fields.
15:27The children's play areas include miniature versions of international landmarks,
15:32allowing them to visit places like the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben without leaving North Korea.
15:38The Kim family's gift-giving culture reveals another dimension of their wealth.
15:43During family celebrations, birthdays, and holidays,
15:47they exchange gifts that would be considered priceless by international standards.
15:51Kim Jong-un reportedly gave his sister a yacht worth over $8 million for her birthday,
15:58while Kim Yo-jong has been known to present her brother with rare artifacts and artworks
16:03acquired through the family's international network.
16:06The family's approach to technology reflects their unlimited budget and desire for exclusivity.
16:13Each family member maintains personal electronics rooms,
16:16housing every gaming console ever manufactured,
16:19televisions with screens larger than most movie theaters,
16:23and communication devices that provide instantaneous access to global networks.
16:28The Kim family's fashion sense reflects their position as North Korea's royal family.
16:34Kim Jong-un's wife, Ri Sol-ju,
16:36frequently appears in designer outfits that cost more than most people's annual salaries,
16:41while Kim Yo-jong has become known for her sophisticated style featuring handbags,
16:47shoes, and accessories from Europe's most exclusive designers.
16:51Even the children's clothing is custom-made by international designers,
16:55with individual outfits costing more than luxury cars.
16:59For longer journeys, the Kim family travels in style aboard their private train,
17:04a rolling palace that stretches over 90 cars and weighs more than 1,200 tons.
17:10Each car is armored and equipped with satellite communication systems,
17:15luxury sleeping quarters, dining cars that rival five-star restaurants,
17:20and even cars dedicated entirely to the family's collection of fine wines and spirits.
17:25Perhaps most revealing is how the Kim family has created a completely separate economy within North Korea
17:32that exists solely to serve their needs.
17:35Thousands of workers are employed exclusively in maintaining their lifestyle.
17:40From the farmers who grow their food to the craftsmen who maintain their palaces,
17:45from the seamstresses who create their clothing to the technicians who maintain their entertainment systems,
17:52the Kim dynasty has perfected the art of living like royalty,
17:56while maintaining the facade of socialist leadership.
18:00Their ability to accumulate and display wealth on this scale,
18:03while keeping their people in poverty,
18:05represents one of the most successful examples of authoritarian wealth concentration in modern history.
18:13The family's lifestyle isn't just about personal indulgence,
18:17it's a carefully orchestrated system designed to project power,
18:21maintain loyalty, and ensure their continued dominance.
18:25The next generation of the Kim dynasty is being raised in even greater luxury than their parents experienced.
18:31Kim Jong-un's children attend private schools within the palace complex,
18:35with curricula designed by educators from the world's most prestigious institutions.
18:41Their daily lives include access to technologies, foods, entertainment, and educational opportunities
18:47that would be considered extraordinary, even by the standards of the world's wealthiest families.
18:53Understanding the Kim family's lavish lifestyle provides crucial context for comprehending how the regime maintains power
19:02and why the pursuit of wealth remains central to North Korea's political system.
19:07Every luxury item, every extravagant facility, and every display of excess serves multiple purposes,
19:14satisfying the family's desires, demonstrating their untouchable authority,
19:18and creating a model of success that loyal officials can aspire to join.
19:23The Untouchable Empire
19:25Deep within the heart of Pyongyang, just a stone's throw from the headquarters of the Workers' Party,
19:32stands a building that most North Koreans have never heard of,
19:35yet it controls more of their nation's destiny than perhaps any other institution.
19:41This is the headquarters of Bureau 39,
19:43the secretive government department that serves as the financial engine of the Kim dynasty's global empire.
19:50Bureau 39 isn't just another government agency.
19:54It's the nerve center of what might be the world's most sophisticated criminal financial network
20:00operating under the protection of diplomatic immunity.
20:04Many high-ranking defectors from North Korea talk about a secret government department
20:09that's said to administer the regime's secret funds.
20:12What makes Bureau 39 so effective and so dangerous is its complete invisibility to international law enforcement.
20:20This organizational structure means that while UN sanctions target known North Korean entities,
20:26the real money-making operations remain completely off the radar.
20:30The scope of Bureau 39's operations is truly staggering.
20:35Bureau 39 is involved in everything that makes money for North Korea.
20:39But these are just the beginning of their revenue streams.
20:43One of their most visible operations, the global network of North Korean restaurants.
20:48Scattered across the world, there are 130 such North Korean restaurants worldwide,
20:54three of them in Cambodia.
20:56Take the operation in Cambodia, for example.
20:59Right next to the entrance to Angkor Wat, one of the world's most visited UNESCO World Heritage Sites,
21:05North Korea operates a museum and restaurant complex that generates millions of dollars annually.
21:11Experts estimate that with crashed helicopters and similar tricks,
21:15the Kim regime earned several hundred million dollars.
21:19When European authorities finally caught on and placed the North Korean insurance company on sanctions lists in 2015,
21:27it was for co-financing of the nuclear weapons program through Bureau 39.
21:32But how does all this money make its way back to Pyongyang?
21:36The answer reveals another layer of Bureau 39's sophistication.
21:41Through diplomatic channels, North Korea uses its worldwide network of embassies to ferry money back to Pyongyang.
21:48North Korean officials enjoying diplomatic immunity carry the money in cash in their flight baggage.
21:54The weapons trade represents another massive revenue stream for Bureau 39.
21:59Experts estimate that between 6 and 8 million 1,300 hackers work for Kim.
22:06And experts estimate that up to $2 billion has been stolen by young, highly trained North Korean hackers,
22:13the Kim Jong-suk Silk Spinning Mill, named after Kim Jong-un's grandmother, a model factory.
22:191,600 workers are employed here, most of them women.
22:23About 200 tons of silk are produced here every year, a luxury product, expensive and labor-intensive.
22:31The most remarkable aspect of Kim Jong-un's financial empire isn't just its size or sophistication.
22:38It's how he's managed to build and maintain it while being one of the most sanctioned individuals on the planet.
22:44Understanding how this system continues to thrive under international pressure reveals not just the genius of its design,
22:52but also the fundamental limitations of global efforts to contain rogue regimes through economic pressure.
22:59The transformation of North Korea from a failing communist state to what experts now recognize as a capitalist dictatorship didn't happen overnight.
23:09It began with a catastrophe that forced the regime to completely reimagine its relationship with money and power.
23:16This famine wasn't just a humanitarian disaster, it was an economic revolution that the Kim regime learned to exploit.
23:24These black markets, called Yang Madang, became the foundation of North Korea's shadow economy.
23:30All sorts of currencies are accepted, especially American dollars and Chinese yuan.
23:35Today, there are countless of these markets throughout the country.
23:39What makes this system particularly brilliant from the regime's perspective is that 400 of them are even officially licensed and provide tax income for the regime.
23:50The regime discovered something that would reshape their entire approach to wealth generation.
23:56They could simultaneously appear to maintain socialist principles while operating a completely capitalist system underneath.
24:04The key to this transformation was the rise of a new class of wealthy individuals called Donju, money lords.
24:12But the true genius of Kim Jong-un's system lies in its international operations, particularly in how it exploits global trade networks.
24:21Recent investigations have revealed something truly shocking.
24:25Major international fashion brands may be unknowingly complicit in North Korea's wealth generation through complex supply chain arrangements.
24:33Researchers found that Chinese factories outsource to North Korean factories in North Korea.
24:40The process is sophisticated and nearly impossible to detect through traditional auditing methods.
24:46Sometimes up to 90% of production does not take place in China.
24:51It does not take place in the factories where the European and the American auditors come to check whether working conditions are decent.
24:58China sends the material to make certain types of clothes to North Korea.
25:03The scale of this operation is massive.
25:06Researchers discovered that between 2013 and December 2016, one Chinese company sent around $10 million worth of fabrics and raw materials to North Korea,
25:17while receiving Finnish garments worth almost $25 million from North Korea.
25:22The sophistication of Kim Jong-un's wealth system extends beyond just hiding illegal activities.
25:29It involves creating legitimate-looking businesses that operate in plain sight.
25:34Through detailed analysis of leaked North Korean registry data, researchers have mapped out the true extent of Bureau 39's legitimate business empire.
25:44The personal dimension of Kim Jong-un's wealth is equally staggering.
25:49His annual spending on luxury goods demonstrates a level of personal extravagance that rivals any monarch in history.
25:56The Kim family is known for spending millions of dollars annually on luxury goods,
26:01with estimates ranging from hundreds of millions to billions of Korean won yearly.
26:06Recent intelligence reports have documented the family's continued luxury purchases despite international sanctions.
26:14Kim Yo-jong was spotted with a black leather bag resembling a Lady Dior, worth around $9,500, during a trip to Russia in September 2024.
26:25This might seem like a small purchase, but it represents something much larger.
26:30The regime's complete confidence in its ability to circumvent international restrictions.
26:36What makes Kim Jong-un's system particularly resilient is its evolution with changing global conditions.
26:42While luxury goods imports decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to border controls,
26:49they have been increasing since the second half of 2022, demonstrating the system's adaptability.
26:56The ultimate irony of Kim Jong-un's wealth system is that it's made possible partly by the very sanctions designed to stop it.
27:04By forcing North Korea's economy into the shadows, international sanctions have inadvertently created the perfect environment for the kind of opaque, flexible financial system that Bureau 39 operates.
27:18The transformation from a failing communist state to a sophisticated capitalist dictatorship represents perhaps the most successful economic pivot in modern political history.
27:28The Kim family's wealth story ultimately reveals something profound about power in the modern world.
27:35While democracies struggle with complex regulations, international cooperation and legal limitations,
27:42authoritarian regimes like North Korea can operate with the level of flexibility and ruthlessness that makes them formidable economic actors.
27:50Kim Jong-un has proven that with enough creativity, brutality and disregard for human rights,
27:57even the most isolated regime can build a global financial empire worth billions of dollars.
28:03Well, that's it for this video.
28:05If you liked it, make sure to subscribe and click on any of the cards on your screen right now to keep watching.
Recommended
28:04
|
Up next
31:52
1:01
10:05
1:18:01
6:50
19:28
19:15
19:03
Be the first to comment