North Korean Workers’ Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un arrived at the scene in a private car on the 8th of last month to take a commemorative photo with participants of the 5th National Mothers’ Rally. On this day, the circumstances in which General Secretary Kim’s private car was changed to a new Mercedes-Maybach model were captured (captured by Chosun Central TV). 2023.12.8.Last month, North Korea’s highest-ranking officials appeared at the year-end plenary meeting in Mercedes-Benz cars, and Mercedes-Benz of Germany, the car’s manufacturer, began investigating the circumstances surrounding the influx.
In an interview with the Voice of America (VOA) on the 3rd (local time), the Mercedes-Benz Germany headquarters press office said, “We have not had any business relations with North Korea for over 15 years and are strictly complying with the embargoes of the United States and the European Union (EU).” “We are thoroughly investigating the vehicle in the photo reported.”
The press office continued to emphasize, “We are implementing comprehensive export control procedures to prevent the delivery of vehicles to North Korea,” and “We make it a basic principle of corporate responsibility to comply with relevant laws when exporting products.”
However, he added, “We cannot confirm the vehicle identification number, so specific tracking is impossible. Please understand that we do not know how the vehicle in question was used by the North Korean government.” In addition, he added, “Third-party vehicle sales, especially used vehicle sales, are outside of our control and responsibility.”
Previously, North Korea’s highest-ranking executives, including Prime Minister Kim Tok-hoon, Party Organization Secretary Cho Yong-won, and Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium Chairman Choe Ryong-hae, who attended the 9th plenary session of the 8th Workers’ Party Central Committee held in Pyongyang on the 27th of last month, each drove a luxury sedan from German Mercedes-Benz. The scene of arriving at the conference hall in the ‘S Class’ was reported by North Korean media such as Chosun Central TV.
The price of each vehicle they drove starts at 150 million won. On the 8th of the same month, North Korean Workers’ Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un was caught changing his personal car to a new Mercedes-Maybach model (at least 300 million won). Expensive vehicles, which are considered luxury goods, are prohibited from being exported or transferred to North Korea in accordance with UN Sanctions Resolutions 1718 and 2094.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.