Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a Russian-made passenger car, according to the North Korean media, the latest sign of the enhanced ties between the two nations.
The gift was handed over to Workers’ Party Secretary Park Chung Chol and the leader’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong on Jan. 18, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.
The KCNA cited Kim Yo Jong as saying it was “a most excellent gift and a clear demonstration of the close friendship between the two leaders of the DPRK and Russia.”
DPRK, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is North Korea’s official name.
“Kim Yo Jong respectfully conveyed to the Russian side the greetings of gratitude from Comrade Kim Jong Un to Comrade President Putin,” the news agency added.
Putin introduced Kim Jong Un to a Russian-made luxury passenger car, the Aurus, during his visit to Pyongyang last year, though it is unclear whether he presented that specific vehicle to the North Korean leader.
The Aurus is a luxury car brand that has been described as the “Russian equivalent of Rolls-Royce,” and Kim Jong Un sat in the back seat with Putin at the time.
According to the U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea, the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of transport to the North is also prohibited under Security Council Resolution 2397, adopted in Dec. 2017.
Separately, the KCNA reported on the same day that delegations led by senior North Korean government officials in charge of technology, fisheries and sports affairs have left for Russia, another indication of the expanded bilateral cooperation between the two.
The North’s Information and Trade Minister Ju Yong Il and other delegates left Pyongyang on Monday to attend a global IT forum in Moscow, the report said.
According to a schedule posted on the forum’s website, the 20-21 event will be attended by Russian government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, as well as officials from Iran, Armenia, Afghanistan, the Philippines and Thailand.
Another delegation led by Vice Fisheries Minister Son Song-kuk departed for Russia the previous day to discuss ways to promote bilateral cooperation in the fisheries sector. In addition, Vice Sports Minister O Kwang Hyok headed to Russia to attend a ceremony to sign a 2024 sports exchange protocol between the two countries.
Since the North Korea-Russia summit in September last year, the two countries have stepped up the pace of bilateral exchanges on various sectors, including military, political, economic and cultural fronts.
Pyongyang is believed to have supplied artillery and munitions to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine, potentially in return for Russia transferring weapons technology.
Edited by Elaine Chan.