Kim Family Spends Billions on Luxury Imports Amidst North Korean Starvation Crisis

Kim Jong-un and his family blatantly flaunt their luxurious lifestyle, with their annual spend on luxury imports estimated by the South Korean government to be in the billions of won. All the while, North Korean residents are facing a dire food crisis, with some even succumbing to starvation.

Kim Jong-un donned a 16-million-won Swiss luxury watch while overseeing the ICBM test launch in March 2022 / Newsis

At an October 19 press briefing on recent economic and social trends in North Korea, a Ministry of Unification official underscored the stark disparity in living conditions. He emphasized that since Kim’s regime began, his family has been openly flaunting their wealth, wearing pricey garments and accessories without any regard for public sentiment.

Even during a September 13 summit at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome, Kim was seen wearing a high-end Swiss watch and using a prestigious German fountain pen, all of which was reported by North Korean media.

The official went on to elaborate that the procurement of these luxury items is meticulously managed by North Korea's highest-ranking officials. They leverage diplomatic networks, employing embassy and trade representatives across several countries, including China, Russia, and various European nations.

Most of these luxury items are smuggled into the country, mainly via cargo ships, with the annual value of goods meant for Kim family alone estimated to be in the hundreds of millions to billions of won range.

Educated in Bern, Switzerland, Kim Jong-un has acquired a fondness for luxury watches. He showcased a 16 million won 'Portofino Automatic' from International Watch Company (IWC) at a Hwasong-17 ICBM launch in March of the previous year. In 2015, he was also spotted wearing a Patek Philippe watch worth around 200 million won during a Workers' Party of Korea anniversary event.

Korean Central Television aired footage on March 16, 2022, showcasing the Hwasong-17 ICBM launch at Pyongyang International Airport, with Kim Jong-un in attendance. Noticeably, his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, is spotted in the background, clad in a coat believed to be from a high-end fashion label. /Korean Central Television

Kim Yo-jong, accompanying Kim on his trip to Russia, was spotted with a handbag from the French luxury brand, Christian Dior. The 'Lady Dior Large Bag' she carried is priced at approximately 10 million won. Considering the average annual income of North Korean residents has plummeted to about 1.42 million won in 2021, primarily due to the impacts of COVID-19, Kim Yo-jong is essentially flaunting a handbag that costs as much as seven years' worth of income for an average North Korean citizen.

From left to right: Kim Yo-jong, Choe Son-hui, and Hyon Song-wol, each elegantly holding a handbag /NK News, Korean Central News Agency

Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui was seen sporting a high-end handbag during her visit to the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant in Khabarovsk, Russia. She carried a Gucci handbag crafted from ostrich leather, a product that is no longer in production. Currently, this rare item is fetching around $10,000, equivalent to approximately 13.3 million won, on various secondary market platforms.

Kim Jong-un's penchant for luxury seems hereditary, with his daughter Kim Ju-ae spotted in a 2.5 million won Christian Dior coat during a March ICBM launch. This caught the media’s attention globally. However, in a noticeable shift, she donned a modest 20,910 won blouse from a Chinese mall during an April visit to the DPRK’s National Aerospace Technology General Bureau.

Considering the United Nations Security Council's sanctions resolution 1718 from 2006, which bans the export of luxury goods to North Korea and has seen consistent updates to its list of prohibited items over the past 17 years, the Kim family's display of luxury items may directly contravene these sanctions.