Bag Carried During Russia Visit, French Dior Product
Kim Jong-un, Ri Sol-ju, Kim Ju-ae Also Famous for Luxury Brand Love
On the 15th, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un visited the Yuri Gagarin fighter jet factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, accompanied by Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, who was carrying a luxury handbag. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Recently, amid North Korea's struggles with food shortages and economic difficulties, it has been revealed that Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party and younger sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, carried a high-end luxury bag during her visit to Russia.
On the 16th, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency released photos of Kim Yo-jong at a Russian airplane factory visit on the 15th.
In the photos, the black bag Kim Yo-jong is holding appears to be a product of the French luxury brand Christian Dior SE. This item is sold for 9.6 million KRW on Dior's official online store.
This identification is based on the distinctive quilting pattern and metal-style charms (decorative items hanging from rings). Although the quilting pattern on the bag in the photo seems slightly different from the product photos on the online store, this is likely due to the angle of the lighting at the site, while the metal charms are identical.
The so-called "Baekdu bloodline"'s love for luxury goods is already well known. Earlier, Kim Jong-un's daughter, Kim Ju-ae, was spotted wearing a black coat presumed to be Dior's kids' hooded down jacket during the observation of the test launch of the Hwasong-17 missile in April. This product is currently sold for $1,900 (approximately 2.49 million KRW) on the official online store.
Kim Jong-un himself attracted attention by wearing a wristwatch believed to be a Swiss luxury brand during the ICBM test launch observation in March last year, following 2019. It is presumed to be the IWC Portofino Automatic, with a price reaching about 15 million KRW.
Additionally, according to CNN and The New York Times (NYT), Kim Jong-un is known to use high-end vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz Maybach S600 Pullman Guard and Maybach S62 as official cars.
His wife, Ri Sol-ju, carried a Chanel bag while taking a walk by the lake at the Samjiyon Guesthouse with former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife during their visit to North Korea on September 20, 2018. In other public appearances, she was also seen carrying Dior handbags, wearing Tiffany necklaces, and dressed in Gucci dresses.
Meanwhile, North Korea has been designated as a country in need of external food aid for 17 consecutive years. According to a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) by the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean human rights in March, 42% of North Korea's population suffers from malnutrition due to food shortages.
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