Kim Jong Un’s New Maybach Car Sparks UN Sanctions Concerns

UN Security Council Resolution 2094
South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Statement

Recently, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared in a brand-new Maybach luxury car, sparking comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 12th. They noted that “luxury vehicles fall under the category of high-end items defined in UN Security Council Resolution 2094.”

Resolution 2094 prohibits the export of luxury goods such as pricey cars, jewelry, yachts, and racing cars to North Korea. UN member countries can independently define the range of luxury goods subject to sanctions against North Korea.

Lim Soo Seok, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said in a regular briefing at the Seoul Government Complex this afternoon, “The UN Security Council’s sanctions resolution against North Korea prohibits all direct and indirect supply, sale, or transfer of luxury goods to North Korea.”

He continued, “Our government is making diplomatic efforts necessary for the faithful implementation of the UN Security Council’s sanctions resolution against North Korea in cooperation with the international community,” emphasizing that “we will continue to keep a close watch on North Korea’s border opening trends and make efforts so that UN member countries can more thoroughly implement the Security Council’s resolution.”

Concerns for North Korea’s Humanitarian Situation

Spokesperson Lim explained that North Korea’s exclusion from the UN humanitarian aid plan for the fourth consecutive year is due to the country’s closure of its borders following the COVID-19 situation. They mentioned, “North Korea has closed its borders and has not permitted the entry of UN personnel for humanitarian aid, which has made conducting field investigations impossible.” Consequently, North Korea appears to have been omitted from the aid plan.

He expressed deep concern regarding the humanitarian situation in North Korea, highlighting the government’s unease. He urged North Korean authorities to prioritize improving human rights and the humanitarian conditions for their residents over developing nuclear and missile capabilities.

In response to North Korea’s publication of a human rights white paper defining the United States and others as human rights oppressor nations, Spokesperson Lim criticized, “North Korea is not even respecting the most basic rights.”

He continued, “It’s unfortunate that North Korea, on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has published a so-called human rights white paper and continues to ignore the human rights situation in North Korea” and expressed “deep regret that North Korea is using human rights to justify nuclear and missile provocations while making absurd claims about the human rights situation in the United States and other Western countries.”

By. Choi Yoon Sun