Violation of UN sanctions?
Gift on four wheels: Putin gives North Korea’s leader Kim a Russian car
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to Vladimir Putin from a car during his visit to Russia
© Uncredited / KCNA via KNS / AP / DPA
Russian President Putin gave his friend Kim Jong Un a car as a gift. And this despite the fact that no luxury goods are to be delivered to North Korea. Was Putin now allowed to make an exception?
According to information from Pyongyang, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a Russian-made car as a gift – and thus allegedly violated UN sanctions. Kim was presented by the “President of the Russian Federation with a Russian-made car for his personal use,” the official KCNA news agency in Pyongyang reported on Tuesday. Kim’s influential sister Yo Jong described the “gift” as “clear evidence of the special personal relationships between the top politicians of both countries.”
The South Korean Unification Ministry condemned the gift as a violation of the sanctions against North Korea that Russia also decided on in 2017. It was “brazen” for North Korea to make public violations of the sanctions, a ministry representative told journalists. Russia must also “be aware of its responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council” in this matter. Moscow should “prevent any action that undermines international norms.”
Kim’s love of luxury cars
This includes which model series the vehicle belongs to North Korean officials did not provide any information about Putin’s gift to Kim. Kim is known for his love of luxury cars, including Lexus SUVs and Mercedes-Benz S-Class cars.
According to a 2021 UN report, the government in Pyongyang attempted to ship luxury vehicles worth over $1 million from the United Arab Emirates to Ningbo, China, and then deliver them to North Korea.
During Kim Jong Un’s highly publicized trip to Russia last September, the North Korean leader sat in the back seat of his Aurus Senat presidential limousine at Putin’s invitation. Kim had moved around Russia in his Maybach limousine, which had been transported from North Korea by special train.
North Korea and Russia: pretty much best friends
Pyongyang and Moscow are traditionally allies, but have significantly expanded their relations in the recent past. At the beginning of February, a group of Russian tourists traveled to North Korea for a stay of several days – the first foreign group since the corona pandemic.
States such as the USA and South Korea accuse North Korea of supporting Russia with weapons and ammunition in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia consumes huge quantities of bullets and, according to experts, cannot keep up with their domestic production. North Korea, in turn, is subject to numerous UN sanctions because of its nuclear weapons and missile program – and, according to Western information, is relying on the transfer of Russian technology.