Russian President, Vladimir Putin, gifted North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, with a luxury car, but sometimes a gift between two dictators can be a curse.
Kim Jong Un visited Russia last year and complimented President Putin on his car, a luxury Russian Aurus limousine. If you haven’t heard of the luxury limo, it is because it is relatively new to the market.
The company only launched in 2018 and last year sold a whopping 115 cars. Like most dictators around the world, the Russian president has always used a Mercedes, but is now opting to go strictly Russian. The seven-tonne limousine has been labeled a “counterfeit Rolls-Royce,” with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine “likely knocked off from the German design (Porsche) without permission.”
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, “courteously conveyed Kim Jong-un’s thanks to Putin to the Russian side, saying that the gift serves as a clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the top leaders.” But as special as the gift is, there is always a bit of anxiety that comes with these kind of gifts.
With this special gift, Kim Jong Un now has a dilemma similar to what many North Korean Christians face. If he accepts the gift, it could be laced with listening devices, data monitors, and tracking systems. The information could be used against him in the future. However, if he does not take the gift, he risks offending the Russian leader, an ally he needs for North Korea’s survival.
Sanctions prohibit North Korea from buying or selling any luxury vehicles on the open market, regardless of their origin, but Russia clearly doesn’t abide by the same rules. Kim is considered to be a bit of a car enthusiast and though his country continues to suffer in extreme poverty, Kim has a large collection of luxury foreign vehicles like the Maybach, Mercedes, Rolls-Royce Phantom and a Lexus SUV, which were all smuggled into the country.
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