North Korea’s Kim Jong-un riding in Putin’s special car ‘Aurus’ in September last year. /Chosun Central TV
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a Russian-made passenger car as a gift.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported on the 20th that Secretary of the Workers’ Party Park Jong-cheon and Vice Minister of the Workers’ Party Kim Yo-jong received a gift sent by President Putin on the 18th.
Kim Yo-jong described this car as “a clear testament to the special friendship between the leaders of North Korea and Russia and the greatest gift.”
The news agency reported, “Comrade Kim Jong-un respectfully conveyed his gratitude to Comrade President Putin to the Russian side.”
When Kim Jong-un visited Russia in September last year, President Putin introduced the Russian-made luxury car ‘Aurus’. It has not yet been confirmed whether this gift is a vehicle from that brand. Aurus, known as the ‘Russian version of Rolls-Royce’, is a brand used by high-ranking officials such as the Russian President and Prime Minister for ceremonial purposes. At that time, Kim Jong-un looked at the exterior of the vehicle, sat in the back seat, and tested the ride comfort, looking very satisfied.
President Putin’s car gift is highly likely to be a violation of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea. Security Council sanctions against North Korea prohibit the export of expensive vehicles, which are considered luxury goods, as well as transportation vehicles themselves.
In the documentary film ‘Great Transition, 2023 of Victory and Transformation’ aired by North Korea’s Korean Central Television on the 15th, a scene of Kim Jong-un getting out of an SUV that appears to be a new private car was captured. This vehicle appears to be a Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 model, and the State Affairs Commission Chairman’s mark is engraved in the center of the rear door. /Chosun Central TV
However, North Korean leaders, including Kim Jong-un, have flouted the Security Council’s sanctions against North Korea by showing up at public events with several Mercedes-Benz cars, a luxury car brand from Germany.
At the Workers’ Party Central Committee meeting aired on Korean Central Television last December, North Korea’s highest-ranking executives each arrived at the meeting venue in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Kim Jong-un, who uses a Maybach S-Class sedan, even appeared in a Maybach SUV in a documentary film aired on the 15th. The domestic price of the vehicle started at around 260 million won.
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2024-02-19 22:01:50
