One of the hottest events recently was President Putin’s visit to North Korea and Vietnam. In the former, Putin was received with the highest honors, notably being offered a ride in Kim Jong Un’s armored car, which the Russian President himself drove.
However, the main attraction for the international media was the sight of the North Korean leader and the Russian President traveling in Kim Jong Un’s luxurious Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard. Interestingly, the rear compartment of the car had been converted into a convertible.
The international media was not only surprised by the North Korean leader’s possession of the Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard but also by the fact that the rear half of the car had been converted into a convertible, a feature never before seen on Pullman models.
It is likely that this particular Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard has been modified by the North Koreans, with the rear roof section removed to facilitate easier access for dignitaries during parades.
It is believed that this car is exclusively used within North Korea, and another car is used for foreign trips, such as the one transported to Vietnam in 2019 for the second US-North Korea summit in Hanoi.
How did the Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard enter North Korea?
Owning a Mercedes-Benz is considered unusual and prohibited in North Korea, as exports to the country are strictly restricted. UN Resolution 1718 explicitly bans the transport of “luxury goods” into the country, which certainly includes cars with a starting price of around half a million euros.
Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, also emphasizes that they have no business relations with North Korea and will comply with all sanctions. As such, they are unsure how their luxury cars, including the Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard, ended up in the country.
So, how did luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz end up in the nearly isolated country of North Korea? The story is believed to have started in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, home to Europe’s largest port. Two Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard cars were reportedly loaded into containers and initially shipped to South Korea via China and Japan. From there, they were loaded onto a new ship named DN5505.
According to this non-governmental organization, the Togolese-flagged ship DN5505 then set sail for Nakhodka, a city in eastern Russia. The direct route passes through North Korea. The ship’s automatic identification system suddenly disappeared while still in South Korean waters, and the ship was only located again 18 days later, on its way back to South Korea. No port authority in Nakhodka could remember the ship.
The trail of the luxury cars was lost for a short time, but a theory later emerged for the rest of their journey, involving three Ilyushin-76 cargo planes of North Korea’s state airline, Air Koryo.
While the DN5505’s tracking system was inactive, it flew from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, to Vladivostok, Russia, not far from Nakhodka. Interestingly, the Ilyushin-76 also transports North Korea’s limousines on state visits.
“The sale of vehicles, especially used vehicles, through third parties is beyond our control and responsibility.” Daimler stated.
In addition to the Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard, Kim Jong Un also owns other luxury cars from German brands such as the Maybach 62S and the Mercedes-Maybach S600.
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