Pyongyang, North Korea

Top North Korean officials were seen attending leader Kim Jong Un’s year-end political meeting in swag, as several of them reportedly arrived in luxurious Mercedes S-class vehicles, despite a ban on luxury goods as a part of the United Nations imposed sanctions. 

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The 8th central committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party gathered in the country’s capital Pyongyang and kicked off its 9th plenary meeting, on Tuesday (Dec 26). 

Kim opened the key political meeting to set new policy goals for 2024 by praising what he called achievements and victories that strengthened national power and boosted the country’s prestige this year. 

Luxury cars seen despite UN sanctions

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While top North Korean officials were seen arriving in luxurious Mercedes S-class cars, the country’s leader himself has previously made public appearances in different Mercedes-Maybach S-class vehicles, including a limousine, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. 

The luxury cars were seen weeks after Japanese police foiled an attempt to smuggle a nearly $70,000 Lexus car into North Korea in what was described as another one of Kim’s illegal purchases amid heavy sanctions, reported Newsweek. 

Notably, the raid took place on the same day that North Korea recalled its ambassador to Switzerland amid an investigation into ivory trafficking. 

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Japanese police, on December 7 raided several properties in the country’s Chiba prefecture on suspicion that the owner of a used-car showroom had attempted to transfer a Lexus to North Korea, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP). 

The firm, as per Asahi newspaper, had submitted paperwork stating that the vehicle was being sent to Singapore via Bangladesh. 

Kim orders military to ‘accelerate’ war preparations

The North Korean leader has ordered the country’s military, the munitions industry and the nuclear weapons sector to accelerate war preparations to counter what he called unprecedented confrontational moves by the United States, reported the state news agency KCNA, on Thursday (Dec 28). 

The order was given during the gathering held in the capital city, on Tuesday, and comes a week after Kim said North Korea would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if “provoked” with nukes.

“He (Kim) set forth the militant tasks for the People’s Army and the munitions industry, nuclear weapons and civil defence sectors to further accelerate the war preparations,” reported KCNA.

The North Korean leader also highlighted that the “military situation” on the Korean peninsula had become “extreme” due to “unprecedented” confrontations with Washington. 

In 2023, Pyongyang conducted a record-breaking number of weapons tests, prompting Seoul, Tokyo and Washington to ramp up defence cooperation. This included the US also sending nuclear-powered submarines to the South Korean port city of Busan. 

Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP, that Kim is likely to “deploy tactical nuclear weapons in areas near the inter-Korean border” and further advance its nuclear program in the upcoming year. 

He added Pyongyang would make such moves to exert “great pressure” on South Korea and the United States while maintaining close ties with traditional allies Russia and China. 

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During the gathering in the North Korean capital, Kim defined 2023 “as a year of great turn and great change both in name and reality, in which (North Korea) left a great trace in the glorious course of development in the efforts to improve the national power and enhance the prestige of the country,” as quoted by KCNA. 

The state media also reported how North Korea has achieved a rapid advancement in its defence capability following the launch of its first military spy satellite in November. 

Kim, during the meeting, laid out economic goals for the upcoming year calling for “stabilising the agricultural production on a high level.”

This comes as North Korea has suffered serious food shortages in recent decades, Reuters citing experts warning that border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic worsened food security in the country. 

(With inputs from agencies)