Kim Jong Un’s Secret Car Smuggling Operation: How Luxury Vehicles Enter North Korea

Kim Jong Un’s Love for Maybach
In a meeting with China’s third-ranked
62S provided as a ceremonial vehicle

Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, considered third in China’s hierarchy, met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea. North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency reported the meeting. As soon as they met, the two showed their closeness by hugging and shaking hands.

As this was the first high-level meeting with China in five years, Kim Jong Un also seemed very concerned. When Zhao Leji left in the ceremonial vehicle, he even imitated the Chinese way of greeting with his hand gestures and saw him off with a bright smile. Zhao Leji responded to Kim Jong Un’s greeting outside the vehicle he was riding in.

Attention was also drawn to the vehicle Zhao Leji, China’s third-highest-ranking official, was riding. Although it is still a guess as the overall appearance has not been revealed, the vehicle in question is presumed to be the Maybach 62S. Kim Jong Un also rode the vehicle, which appears to have been provided by North Korea, during the North Korea-US summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019.

The Maybach 62S was first unveiled at Auto China in 2006. It is equipped with a Mercedes-Benz AMG 12-cylinder twin-turbo engine with 612 horsepower, the same specifications as the 57 S model. When it was launched in South Korea in 2007, the price alone was 780 million won (approx. $570,000). Even in North Korea, the price is so high that it is impossible to ride it unless customers are high-ranking officials.

Although it is a prohibited item for export to North Korea
Smuggled through various routes

Under the UN Security Council resolution, such luxury imported vehicles are designated prohibited items for export to North Korea. Vehicles cannot usually be obtained in North Korea. In the case of the import of the Maybach owned by Kim Jong Un, it was revealed that a Japanese logistics company was involved. The company denied the charge, saying it “had no idea it was a car destined for North Korea” and “only took over and sent the car cargo requested by a logistics company in Dalian, China.”

It is known that the 62S used by Kim Jong Un was imported into North Korea in 2018 after a complex process that involved more than five countries. The shipping address appears to have been changed several times to hide the destination heading to North Korea. Through this method, it is understood that Kim Jong Un owns more than 100 luxury imported vehicles.

Rode it for 8 months since 2018
Change to a new Maybach

It was revealed that 211 Lexus, 43 Nissan, and 2 Mitsubishi were smuggled from Japan to North Korea from 2015 to 2017. Kim Jong Un, who was driving a 62S and S600 Pullman Guard in 2018, is known to have replaced the vehicle with a new Maybach eight months later.