North Korea’s Kim enjoys a Russian luxury limousine gifted by Putin as the two nations expand ties

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s new ride is a Russian luxury limousine gifted by President Vladimir Putin. Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, said Saturday that the car’s unspecified “special function” is perfect and that the limousine symbolizes deepening bilateral ties. In February, Putin sent Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine that he’d shown to the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in Russia in September. Observers said the shipment violated a United Nations resolution that bans supplying luxury items to North Korea. The resolution was part of an effort to pressure the North to give up its nuclear weapons program.