Russian President, Vladimir Putin has gifted a car to his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un, North Korean state media said Tuesday, February 20.
The Russian-made car for Kim’s personal use was delivered Sunday by a Russian delegation, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong thanked Putin on her brother’s behalf and said, “the gift serves as a clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the top leaders of the (North Korea) and Russia,” according to KCNA.
The US government is increasingly concerned about the long-term implications of a new level of strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia, according to reports.
Russia has repeatedly used North Korean-supplied short-range ballistic missiles at Ukrainian targets in recent weeks.
In January, high-ranking North Korean and Russian diplomats met in Moscow in advance of what North Korean state media says is a forthcoming visit to Pyongyang by Putin — his first in more than 20 years. Kim visited Russia for a summit with Putin in September, where he endorsed Russia’s war on Ukraine and said, “I will always be standing with Russia.”
Putin’s gift violates United Nations sanctions imposed on North Korea for its nuclear weapons program, though the ban on luxury goods sales to the country has not prevented Kim from appearing in a range of high-end vehicles over the years.
The North Korean leader is often seen in a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard armored limousine, worth upwards of $1 million.
In 2018, he arrived at a meeting with US officials in a black Rolls-Royce. Earlier that year, two armored Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard vehicles were shipped from the Netherlands to North Korea, likely for Kim’s use, according to the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies.
During Kim’s visit to Russia last September, Putin showed the North Korean leader his limousine, made by Russian luxury automaker Aurus.
Former US President Donald Trump also gave Kim a viewing of the presidential Cadillac limousine nicknamed “the Beast” during their talks in Singapore in 2018.
