North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been confirmed to be using a brand-new luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) from Mercedes-Benz.
On August 10, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong-un revisited flood-stricken areas in Uiju County, North Pyongan Province, on August 8 and 9. Photos released alongside the report captured a black SUV bearing the Mercedes-Benz logo.
During the visit, Kim delivered a speech to flood victims from a special train car with its doors fully open. Behind him, a Mercedes-Benz SUV was clearly visible.
The license plate on the SUV bore the numbers “7 27 1953,” a date North Korea commemorates as “Victory Day,” marking what they claim was a victory against the United States in the Korean War.
The vehicle is presumed to be the “Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC Facelift,” a model that began sales in South Korea in April this year. The domestic price starts at approximately $211,000.
Kim was also seen in a Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 in a documentary aired by Korean Central Television (KCTV) in January of this year. It appears that he has since acquired a new Mercedes-Benz SUV.
This adds to the mounting evidence that the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions against North Korea, including the ban on the transfer of luxury goods since 2017, are not being effectively enforced.
Kim Jong-un’s “love for Mercedes” is well-known. He has been seen riding in Mercedes vehicles at various events in North Korea and even abroad, seemingly unfazed by international sanctions.
In June, when Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years, Kim hosted a grand “car parade” during the official welcome ceremony, featuring a Mercedes-Benz.
In addition to the Maybach GLS 600, Kim also owns other Mercedes-Maybach sedans and limousines, as well as a Lexus SUV, a luxury brand from Japan’s Toyota, which he frequently uses.
BY YESUL HYEON [hyeon.yeseul@joongang.co.kr]
