
IMPROPERLY IMPORTED. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s
limousine arrives for a wreath-laying ceremony in Vladivostok,
Russia, on April 26, 2019. German automaker Daimler, which makes
armored limousines used by the North Korean leader, says it has
no idea where he got them and has no business dealings with the
North. (AP Photo/Alexander Khitrov)
From The Asian Reporter, V29, #09 (May 6, 2019), pages
9 & 20.
Daimler says it has no idea how Kim Jong Un
got his limos
By Eric Talmadge
The Associated Press
TOKYO — German automaker Daimler, which makes armored
limousines used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, says it has
no idea where he got them and has no business dealings with the
North.
Kim has raised eyebrows by using Daimler-branded stretch
limousines at several very high-profile summits, including his
recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and both of
his earlier summits with President Donald Trump.
The sale of luxury goods, including limousines, is banned
under U.N. sanctions intended to put pressure on North Korea to
abandon its nuclear weapons.
Kim nevertheless had two limos waiting for him at Vladivostok
station — a Mercedes Maybach S600 Pullman Guard and a Mercedes
Maybach S62. He is believed to have also used the S600 Pullman
Guard for his summits with Trump in Singapore in June last year
and in Hanoi in February.
"We have absolutely no idea how those vehicles were delivered
to North Korea," Daimler spokeswoman Silke Mockert said in a
written response to an Associated Press report on the
limousines. "For Daimler, the correct export of products in
conformance with the law is a fundamental principle of
responsible entrepreneurial activity."
Daimler, based in Stuttgart, Germany, is one of the world’s
biggest and most prestigious automobile companies. It is one of
the biggest providers of high-end passenger cars and the world’s
largest producer of trucks above six tons.
On its home page, the multinational giant boasts of selling
vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world
and of having production facilities in Europe, North and South
America, Asia, and Africa.
North Korea, however, isn’t one of its official customers.
"Our company has had no business connections with North Korea
for far more than 15 years now and strictly complies with E.U.
and U.S. embargoes," she said. "To prevent deliveries to North
Korea and to any of its embassies worldwide, Daimler has
implemented a comprehensive export control process. Sales of
vehicles by third parties, especially of used vehicles, are
beyond our control and responsibility."
Kim’s ability to procure the limousines anyway is a good
example of how porous the international sanctions tend to be.
According to Daimler, the Mercedes-Benz Pullman limousines
offer their passengers "a superbly appointed setting for
discreet meetings."
The version used by Kim is believed to be equipped with all
the key communications and entertainment systems so that,
according to a company description of the car, its occupants can
remain "fully in touch with the rest of the world while enjoying
the luxury and comfort of their own very special place in it."
Talmadge is The AP’s Pyongyang bureau chief.
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