Satellite image emerges as chef reveals secrets of luxury aquatic park
Italian chef Ermanno Furlanis caught glimpses of the comings and goings while he worked in North Korea, making salami pizza for the country's dictator
A LUXURY floating aquatic park filled with women and luxurious food has offered an insight into the world of North Korea's dictator.
The details of the aquatic park were revealed in a rare sketch done by Italian chef Ermanno Furlanis, who worked in Pyong-Yang for the dictator in 1997.
Former dictator Kim Jong-Il was often seen at the aquatic park with girls often spotted leaving the luxury barge in a boat.
And the park is still there today, with a satellite image of the area revealing the luxury barge just off of the port city of Wonsan with speculation it is now owned by Kim Jong-un.
Chef Furlanis, who worked in North Korea for 20 days, said he had managed to catch glimpses of the barge despite authorities often turning his head so he could not see certain areas of the barge.
He told The Sun: “I think it was for training of the swimmers. The athlets (sic) are held in great honour in the country.”
“They were young athletes, swimmers or basket(ball)ers.”
But he said he also believed the barge was used for “amusement” as well.
The experienced chef, who has worked all over the globe, said: “(There were) also some young girl(s), I saw two, one time the yacht of Kim Il Sung arrived from there.”
He said he could not see the detail of the floating park as it was far from where the kitchen was.
Cooking for Kim Jung-Il, the leader of North Korea in the late 90s, the chef said the structure featured a landing bay for smaller boats as well as three floors of accommodation, a guard tower and a waterslide into a pool.
The rare sketch revealed that the aquatic park was mobile, moving through the hundreds of islands near the base.
From his vantage point of the kitchens, Furlanis said he could see a guard tower on either side of the pool while there were rooms where people could stay and enjoy themselves.
He said he enjoyed his time working there, telling The Sun: “They have been very polite and gentle with us.”
He also said the people were highly refined who appreciated the work he performed for them.
But he said he had been unable to see much more of the barge or of the powerful leader himself.
He said he was once even made to turn his head to avoid seeing the yacht of Kim arrive.
Furlanis said: “I could not even stare at him, they turned my (head) in the other direction.
“Nobody could stare at him. It is sacred… like worship.”
While the rest of the country was gripped by famine, Furlanis was commissioned along with several other chefs across the world to make international food for the dictator.
He even found out the former dictator, who has now been replaced by his son Kim Jong-un, enjoyed the salami pizza that he made.