Yoon Rides in Protocol Vehicle Provided by French Government
Saudi Arabia and Italy Use Their Embassy Cars Locally
President Yoon Suk-yeol recently visited France to promote the 2030 Busan Expo bid, during which claims arose that he was subjected to protocol neglect. While other heads of state were provided with luxury vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz and Maserati, President Yoon rode in a vehicle from the French 'domestic' Renault Group, which was seen as a form of 'neglect.' However, the presidential office dismissed these claims, stating that the protocol vehicle was provided by the French government.
On the 20th (local time), President Yoon, who visited the ?lys?e Palace in Paris for a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, rode in an SUV from the French Renault Group. Around the same time, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also visited the ?lys?e Palace, arrived in a Mercedes-Benz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in a Maserati, sparking comparisons among pro-Yoon netizens.
The cars used by heads of state when visiting the ?lys?e Palace in Paris, France. (From left) The Mercedes-Benz used by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, the Maserati used by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the Renault used by President Yoon Suk-yeol. [Photo by Online Community]
The vehicle ridden by Crown Prince Salman was a Mercedes-Benz S680 model, which is not sold domestically in Korea, priced at approximately 370 million KRW. With added bulletproof features, the price reportedly exceeds 600 million KRW. The vehicle Prime Minister Meloni rode was a Maserati Quattroporte, a large sedan priced at about 180 million KRW. In contrast, the Renault vehicle President Yoon rode was the Espace model, priced around 50 million KRW, making it relatively inexpensive compared to the aforementioned cars.
Pro-Yoon netizens claimed that the French government provided high-priced protocol vehicles to the Saudi and Italian leaders but gave a cheaper car to President Yoon.
Upon verification, this was found to be untrue. According to diplomatic sources, President Yoon used the protocol vehicle provided by the French government as is.
On the other hand, the Saudi and Italian leaders declined the vehicles provided by the French government and used vehicles from their respective embassies. Looking at the license plates on the Mercedes-Benz and Maserati in the comparison posts, the cars used by these two leaders bear green license plates, which are issued by France to foreign embassies.
Meanwhile, it is known that several other leaders who met President Macron also used Renault vehicles provided by the French government.
According to foreign media, King Felipe VI of Spain rode a Renault-branded car when he visited the ?lys?e Palace in March 2020 to meet President Macron. The Armenian president also received a Renault as a protocol vehicle that same year. In May last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both rode Renault cars to the ?lys?e Palace. The Renault Espace is also a vehicle favored by President Macron.
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