hankyoreh

On July 16, the New York Times published an article on how North Korean leader Kim Jong-un acquires his luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz models that transported through the streets of Singapore, Hanoi, and Vladivostok during his summits with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The article cited research by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies that stated that North Korea acquires luxury Western goods via complicated trade routes that begin in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before going through China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia to finally reach the North. According to the article, two Mercedes-Benz models were shipped in two separate containers from Rotterdam in June 2018. The article it was unclear who made the original purchase, but added that a company called China Cosco Shipping Corporation handled transportation. The photo shows Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the latter’s visit to Pyongyang on June 20.