La Jornada – Kim Jong Un received a car as a gift from Putin

Seoul. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a car “for his personal use” as a gift from Russian President Vladimir Putin, official media reported on Tuesday, which may violate UN sanctions on Moscow. They worked together to adopt it against Pyongyang.

North Korea and Russia have strengthened their ties since their leaders met in September and pledged to boost exchanges across the board, because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and Russia’s nuclear weapons development. But their international blockade had deepened.

The official KCNA news agency said the Russian-made car was handed over to Kim’s top aides by the Russian side on February 18.

Kim’s sister “politely expressed to the Russian side Kim Jong Un’s gratitude to Putin, saying that this gift serves as a clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the top leaders,” KCNA said.

The report did not describe the car nor explain how it was shipped from Russia. Kim is fond of cars and is believed to have a large collection of luxury foreign vehicles, which he is believed to smuggle.

The vehicles they possess fall under luxury items whose export to North Korea is banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Exchanges between the two countries are becoming increasingly active and North Korea is believed to be supplying artillery, rockets and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.