According to official media reports on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been presented with a vehicle from Russian President Vladimir Putin as a gift intended for his personal use, potentially raising concerns over a breach of United Nations sanctions imposed against Pyongyang, to which Moscow is a signatory.
Since the meeting between Kim and Putin in September, the relationship between North Korea and Russia has deepened, with both nations vowing to enhance bilateral exchanges across various sectors amidst their growing international isolation stemming from Russia's conflict in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear program.
The Russian-manufactured vehicle was handed over to Kim's senior aides by the Russian delegation on February 18, as disclosed by the official KCNA news agency.
In conveying Kim Jong Un's gratitude to Putin, his sister expressed appreciation for the gift, highlighting its significance as a symbol of the special bond between the two leaders, according to KCNA's report.
Details regarding the car's specifications and the logistics of its delivery from Russia were not provided in the report. Kim is known to have a keen interest in automobiles, possessing a considerable collection of high-end foreign vehicles, purportedly smuggled into the country.
During Kim's visit to Russia's space launch station last September, he had the opportunity to inspect Putin's presidential Aurus Senat limousine and was even invited by Putin to sit in the vehicle's back seat. Kim arrived at the site in a Maybach limousine transported via a special train from Pyongyang.
It's worth noting that several of the luxury vehicles in Kim's possession, including various Mercedes limousines, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and a Lexus SUV, fall under the category of luxury goods prohibited for export to North Korea according to UN Security Council resolutions.
While bilateral exchanges between North Korea and Russia have intensified, there have been reports suggesting North Korea's provision of artillery, rockets, and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the conflict in Ukraine. However, neither the Kremlin nor North Korea has officially confirmed or denied these claims.
In a separate development reported by KCNA on Tuesday, a North Korean delegation returned from Russia, while three other delegations representing information technology, fisheries, and sports departed for Russia, underscoring the ongoing engagement between the two nations across various sectors.
