The push came after the two leaders signed an agreement that included a mutual defense pledge, one of Russia’s most significant moves in the Asia Pacific region in years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un went for a spin in an Auras limousine on Wednesday.
As Putin made his first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years, the carefully staged public relations exercise was an opportunity to show off their close working relationship and ease in each other’s company.
The move came after the two leaders signed an agreement that included a mutual defense pledge, one of Russia’s most significant moves in the Asia Pacific region in years and Kim called an “alliance”.
A video released by Russian state television showed Putin jumping behind the wheel of the Auras, the model of his official presidential car in Russia. Kim was seen smiling in the passenger seat while the two of them were driving around a park, and then they switched seats.
A Putin aide said on Wednesday that the Russian leader presented Kim with an auras.
This is his second Russian-made limousine.
North Korea’s state media reported in March that Kim took his first ride in an Auras after Putin gave him a car in February.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said the Auras Prize was deemed a violation of United Nations sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Kim is believed to have a large collection of luxury cars, including models from Maybach, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce, which have been smuggled into the country in defiance of sanctions.
