Kim Jong Un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, has just returned home from his 10-day trip to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin. While the comradeship between these two leaders may not typically pique the interest of automotive enthusiasts, it’s the vehicle selected for Kim Jong Un’s motorcade – the Hyundai Staria – that has caught our attention.
The North Korean leader was driven around in his Maybach 62 which was escorted by a fleet of 4 Hyundai Staria minivans looking quite sinister with their black exterior, privacy glass, and slim LEDs. The unconventional group was followed by a few examples of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, while a Russian-built Aurus Senat limousine led the pack to the city of Vladivostok. It is not clear if the Hyundai vans retrofitted with strobe lights were supplied by the Russian state, but this is could the case judging from their license plates.
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The video footage was broadcast from the state-owned Korean Central Television as part of a 90-minute documentary titled: “An Incident that Led to a New Milestone for the Development of North Korea-Russia Relation”. The film detailed every step of Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia, including his transport to and from certain locations.
Visible ‘Hyundai’ logos
What is quite unusual is that the channel didn’t edit out the Hyundai emblems from at least one of the vans, effectively offering some free advertising to the automaker from the rival grounds of South Korea. As reported by The Korea Herald, North Korea’s television deleted the Hyundai emblems from the advertising banners during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It is not clear if this change was intentional or if the guy who edited the Russian clips was new to the job.
The Staria van with the visible Hyundai logo accompanied Kim Jong Un during his visit to Russky Island and the Primorsky Aquarium, which included a stop at the Arnika Bio-Feed Mill, the last destination in the Russian Far East. According to South Korean media reports, Kim’s personal car was observed heading to the train station, with the Hyundai van still providing security.
In any case, don’t expect kind gestures to soften the rivalry between North and South Korea. Speaking of rivalries, during his UN speech, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol criticized the aftermath of Kim Jong Un’s recent trip, saying that any help from Russia to South Korea’s weapons programs, would be perceived as a “direct provocation”.
