How Kim Jong

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's Aurus Senat limousine, center, is surrounded by a luxury convoy of Toyota Land Cruiser 300s as well as Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS 600 SUVs and Lexus LX SUVs during his visit to Kim Il Sung Military University in Pyongyang, Friday. Yonhap

By Kwak Yeon-soo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent public appearances with newly purchased high-end luxury vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz Maybachs, Lexus SUVs and Toyota Land Cruisers, cast doubt on the effectiveness of international sanctions against the secretive regime.

With the mandate for the United Nations expert panel that monitors sanctions on North Korea expiring Tuesday, this blatant display of showing off is feared to deepen concerns that Pyongyang could further modernize its nuclear and weapons programs by exploiting the vacuum regarding the enforcement of sanctions.

Last week, six Toyota Land Cruiser 300s were spotted in Kim's 18-vehicle motorcade during a visit to the Kim Il Sung Military University in Pyongyang, in what appears to be an obvious expression of contempt for international sanctions. The Land Cruisers are part of Toyota's J300 series, which have been produced since 2021 and have a starting price of around $80,000.

Kim was seen riding the Aurus Senat limousine, a luxury car that was given to him as a gift by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also seen in the luxury convoy were two Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS 600 SUVs, two Lexus LX SUVs, two Ford Transit vans, and five old Mercedes sedans, all of which cannot officially be imported to North Korea, which is under sanctions.

The Ministry of Unification said Pyongyang's public display of luxury vehicles can be interpreted as an attempt to clearly show that the sanctions against North Korea are futile.

"North Korea's series of actions that violate the sanctions will further alienate its relations with a majority of countries that conform to international norms," a ministry official said.

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, analyzed that sanctions imposed by the United Nations on North Korea have been losing their impact.

"It seems like Pyongyang has intentionally revealed its high-end imported vehicles in an effort to show that they can evade sanctions," Hong said.

Experts played down concerns regarding the absence of the panel that monitors the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea.

"Even if the expert panel's mandate has expired, U.N. member states are still obligated to comply with sanctions against North Korea per U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. The government will seek effective measures with the international community to ensure that sanctions against North Korea are faithfully implemented," the ministry official said.

Hong said South Korea needs to explore alternatives to the expert panel monitoring the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea in cooperation with the United States and other allies.

"Establishing alternative mechanism is an inevitable option for us as the mandate of the U.N. expert panel is expiring today. South Korea, the U.S. and their allies should call for help from countries who hold anti-Western sentiment as the new mechanism can appear weaker than the U.N. sanctions," he said.

The U.N. expert panel, created in 2009, has been submitting reports biannually to the UNSC, recommending actions to enhance the implementation of sanctions on North Korea, which were first imposed in 2006 and subsequently strengthened in response to its continued weapons development.

However, Russia vetoed the annual renewal of the panel's mandate in a routine UNSC resolution vote last month, putting an end to the 15-year-old mechanism.

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