Kim Jong-un used the "perfect" armored car, the Aurus Senat, recently given to him by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time on Friday.
This was announced by the sister of the North Korean leader, Kim Yo-jong, showing the gift as a symbol of the growing cooperation between the two countries.
The respected marshal, the official KCNA agency reported without releasing photos, used it to go to the opening ceremony of the Kangdong Greenhouse Farm near Pyongyang, where he appeared with his inseparable daughter Ju-ae.
“The special function of the private car is perfect and can be completely trusted,” said the leader's sister, according to whom the car “donated by the President of the Russian Federation is a clear proof of the friendship between North Korea and Russia, which is developing comprehensively on a higher plane.
We once again send our heartfelt thanks to Moscow."
For further information ANSA Agency Aurus Senat, it is the limousine given by Putin to Kim Jong Un. It is called Aurus Senat L700 with an unspecified cost (we are talking about around 190 thousand euros for the non-armored model) and it is a hybrid with all-wheel drive, the 6-wheel drive limousine .6 meters that Vladimir Putin gave to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
(HANDLE)
State media had previously said that the Russian side presented the gift to Kim Yo-jong and top military officer Pak Jong-chon in Pyongyang on February 18, while the Kremlin later confirmed that it was an Aurus Senat luxury.
Putin, in particular, showed Kim his special Aurus Senat at the bilateral summit held in the Siberian Far East last September.
However, there appeared to be skepticism in Pyongyang that the use of the Aurus could reveal sensitive information about Kim's activities.
The gift is a violation of UN sanctions that ban the transfer of all transport vehicles and luxury goods to North Korea in response to its nuclear and ballistic missile development programs.
Russia approved the measure in 2017, then asked for it to be scaled back.
In recent years, Kim has used Mercedes and Maybach limousines and Lexus and Toyota SUVs during public appearances, plus other models since last fall.
Meanwhile, evidence has emerged in recent months that Pyongyang is sending its new short-range ballistic missiles to Moscow in support of Russia's military aggression of Ukraine, again in violation of UN sanctions
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