North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gets out a Mercedes-Benz Maybach after arriving at the National Meeting of Mothers on Friday. [KOREAN CENTRAL TV]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was seen with a new Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS 600, a luxury vehicle whose import into North Korea is banned under UN sanctions.
The North’s state-run Korean Central TV released images on Monday showing Kim arriving at the National Meeting of Mothers in the vehicle, which has a starting price of 315.4 million won ($239,200) in Korea.
The car was identified as a Maybach, as the carmaker’s emblem was seen on the car near its rear door.
The luxury vehicle that Kim brought along on his trip to the Russian spaceport Vostochny Cosmodrome to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in September was also believed to be a Maybach.
However, that vehicle didn’t have the brand’s emblem attached.
Kim reportedly owns several Maybach cars, including the S600 Pullman Guard and an S62.
He was seen arriving at the Ryongsong Machine Complex last month in cars presumed to be a Maybach GLS 600 and a Lexus LX SUV — both recent models.
In 2019, the Washington-based Center for Advanced Studies speculated that luxury vehicles entered North Korea through complicated trade routes passing through Italy, the Netherlands, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
The UN Security Council has prohibited the export of luxury goods to North Korea in 2006.
Despite these sanctions, North Korea has smuggled various luxury items into the country, including high-end vehicles, designer clothing and jewelry.
Last year, Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, was spotted wearing what is believed to be a Christian Dior jacket, while his sister, Kim Yo-jong, was seen holding a Christian Dior bag during her trip to Russia.
In addition to the luxury vehicles, Kim has been seen wearing a luxury Swiss watch from IWC, estimated to be worth around 16 million won, and signing a document with a Montblanc pen during his visit to Russia.
The Japanese authorities recently cracked down on a used-car dealer suspected of attempting to smuggle a Lexus vehicle into North Korea.
North Korea’s import of luxury goods is believed to be on the rise.
A report by People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun estimates that luxury goods exported to North Korea through China in the first seven months of this year amount to $40.6 million, a significant increase from the $28.5 million imported in the entirety of 2022.
The increase in luxury imports is seen as a reversal of the trend during the pandemic when North Korea sealed off its borders, causing a drop in luxury goods imports to $1.84 million in 2021 from $22.8 million in 2020.
North Korea’s GDP per capita remains low, estimated at 1.43 million won, equivalent to 3.4 percent of South Korea’s, according to the Bank of Korea.
BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]
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