President Vladimir Putin of Russia gives Kim Jong Un of North Korea a car built in Russia

As the two nations strengthen their relations in a variety of sectors, including tourism and defense, Pyongyang’s official media said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has given North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un an automobile built in Russia.

According to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim was “presented with a car made in Russia for his personal use by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation.”

The “gift serves as a clear demonstration of the special personal relations between the top leaders” of the two nations, according to Kim’s influential sister Yo Jong, KCNA reported.

The model of the car was not mentioned in the report.

With a party of Russian tourists visiting earlier this month for a four-day excursion — the first known foreign tour group since the pandemic-linked border restrictions in 2020 — Pyongyang and Moscow have been getting closer since Kim met Putin last year.

Following the September Kim-Putin meeting in the Far East of Russia, the US and South Korea have maintained that the North sent weaponry to Moscow to be used in its conflict with Ukraine in return for Russian assistance with Kim’s satellite programs.

It has been intimated by both parties that the Russian president would now make a repeat trip to Pyongyang.

Kim is well known for his love of expensive cars. He has been seen driving expensive vehicles, such as Mercedes-Benz S-Class models and Lexus SUVs.

A 2021 UN report detailed an alleged effort to smuggle luxury cars, including these models, valued over $1 million from the United Arab Emirates to Ningbo, China, with plans to transfer them to the North.

Any importation of automobiles would be in violation of the UN sanctions that have been imposed on Pyongyang due to Kim’s prohibited weapons programs.

Putin allowed Kim to get inside the rear seat of his presidential Aurus Senat limousine during the latter’s visit to Russia last year.

Kim himself arrived at the spot in his Maybach limousine, which he had brought from the North on a special train.