NK leader receives Russian

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin take a seat in Putin's presidential Aurus Senat limousine at Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East, in this Sept. 20, 2023 file photo captured from footage of North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has received a Russian-made luxury car from Russian President Vladimir Putin as a gift demonstrating the special bonds between the two leaders, state media reported Tuesday.

The gift serves as a "clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the two leaders and as the best one," according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Russia conveyed the vehicle for Kim's personal use Sunday to Pak Jong-chon, a secretary of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea, and Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North's leader. She delivered Kim Jong-un's thanks to Putin to the Russian side, the report said.

The KCNA did not carry photos or reports about the details of the car.

Later in the day, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the car is a Russian-made Aurus Senat, according to Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

Putin showed his presidential Aurus Senat limousine to Kim in September last year, when the North's leader visited Russia's Vostochny spaceport for the summit, and offered him the opportunity to take a seat in the Russian-made luxury vehicle.

But Putin's gift could be in violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that ban the supply, sale and transfer of luxury goods, including automobiles, to North Korea.

The North's leader has made public appearances in different Mercedes-Maybach S-class vehicles, including a limousine, snubbing international sanctions on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Seoul's unification ministry assessed Putin's gift as being a luxury vehicle subject to U.N. sanctions, given that it was a present for the head of state.

"We condemned North Korea for its brazen attitude of publicly revealing the violation of the U.N. sanctions. Russia should also be aware of its responsibility as a permanent member of the UNSC and stop an act that undermines international norms," a ministry official told reporters.

He said the government will cooperate with the international community to deal with the act by North Korea and Russia to violate the UNSC resolutions. (Yonhap)