Apparently, as a sign of their close ties, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a luxury limousine. It concerns a car from the Russian state car manufacturer Aurus, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirms according to the Russian news agency RIA.
The car was for Kim’s “personal use” and was handed over by the Russian side to his close associates on February 18, the official North Korean news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday. Kim’s influential sister Kim Yo Jong thanked the Russian side, saying: The gift is clear evidence of the special personal relationships between the two leaders. South Korea criticized the gift as a possible violation of U.N. sanctions, which include banning the supply of luxury cars to North Korea.
North Korea should supply Russia with weapons
Russia has increased cooperation with an isolated and internationally isolated North Korea in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine. The West suspects that North Korea is supplying Russia with artillery ammunition and missiles for use in Ukraine. Russia neither denied nor confirmed this. North Korea denies the accusation of supplying weapons to Russia, which would also be a violation of UN sanctions.
The North Korean dictator loves luxury cars
Kim met Putin during a state visit to Russia in September, with both sides agreeing to closer cooperation. During a visit to the Vostochny space center in the Russian Far East, Putin invited Kim to get into his Aurus Senat state car. Kim drove himself to the space center in a Maybach limousine that he had brought on a special train from Pyongyang.
Kim is considered a car enthusiast and has a large collection of foreign luxury vehicles, which are likely smuggled in. He has already been spotted in Mercedes limousines, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a Lexus SUV, all luxury goods whose supply to North Korea is banned by UN Security Council resolutions against the Asian state’s nuclear and missile programme.
Source: Krone
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