Change official car to 'Benz Maybach'
Also flaunting luxury watches and clothing items
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un has been spotted switching his official car to a 'Benz Maybach.' Despite UN sanctions, the Kim family’s use of luxury goods is openly visible.
Kim Jong-un Appears Riding in a 'Maybach S650'
According to SBS on the 9th, Chairman Kim appeared in a new official car at the National Mothers' Conference held in Pyongyang on the 3rd and 4th. At that time, participants lined up in the square in front of the Pyongyang Gymnasium to take commemorative photos with Kim, and footage captured Kim stepping out of a luxury sedan.
The Maybach emblem was clearly visible on the rear door of the official car, and the trunk displayed the letters 'S650.' The vehicle is estimated to be a Benz Maybach S650 model released in 2019. The base price without additional options reaches 315.4 million KRW.
When Kim visited Russia in September, he was also seen using a Maybach limousine after disembarking from his official train. Since that vehicle did not have the Maybach emblem or S650 lettering, it is presumed that the official car was replaced within the last month or two.
UN Sanctions Targeted... Smuggling of Vehicles into North Korea Rampant
Kim Jong-un riding in President Putin's official car 'Aurus' during his visit to Russia last September. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The problem is that the Benz Maybach is subject to export bans to North Korea by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). According to 'UN Security Council Resolution 2094,' the import of luxury goods such as high-end passenger cars into North Korea is prohibited, and 'Resolution 2397' bans the export of transportation means to North Korea.
Nevertheless, Chairman Kim openly uses the Maybach vehicle. In 2019, he was also seen riding a Benz Maybach S600 Pullman Guard on Korean Central Television.
At that time, the New York Times (NYT) cited a report by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a nonprofit research organization tracking smuggling networks, revealing that two such vehicles were smuggled into North Korea after passing through five countries including China, Russia, and Japan over five months.
On the 7th, a Japanese import-export company was caught by authorities attempting to illegally smuggle a luxury Lexus passenger car into North Korea. Lexus is widely known as a vehicle favored by Chairman Kim.
According to the Asahi Shimbun, the company tried to smuggle one Toyota Lexus from Yokohama Port, routing through South Asia to North Korea. The vehicle’s price exceeds 10 million yen (approximately 90 million KRW).
"Let’s Overcome the Disaster" Speech... Luxury Watch on Wrist
The fact that UN sanctions against North Korea are not functioning has been revealed multiple times before. In particular, the Kim family’s display of luxury goods such as watches, clothing, and accessories has been captured by the media.
At the October 2020 military parade commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party, Kim delivered a speech urging “the people to overcome the disaster” while wearing a Swiss IWC ‘Portofino Automatic’ wristwatch worth around 14 million KRW. He also wore this watch at the launch site of the ‘Hwasong-17’ missile last year.
Additionally, Kim’s 10-year-old daughter Kim Ju-ae attracted attention in March when she attended the test launch of the ‘Hwasong-17’ wearing a black coat estimated to be a Dior product worth about 2.4 million KRW.
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