New report traces origin of North Korea's luxury rides Updated 16th July New report traces origin of North Korea's luxury rides. On June 14, , two armored Mercedes-Maybach S Guard vehicles were shipped from the Dutch Port of Rotterdam, heading out on a journey that would take months and see the cars transported thousands of miles through six countries, according to a new report from the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies C4ADS.
And in the North Korean capital, there's only one customer who likely requires this type of ride. Sanctions passed by the United Nations as punishment for Pyongyang's nuclear weapons development are supposed to bar companies and individuals from selling luxury goods to North Korea.
The exterior of a Mercedes-Maybach S Guard. Definitive figures are difficult to determine because there isn't a shared definition of what constitutes a "luxury item" and due to the surreptitious way North Korea imports such items. The Mercedes-Maybach S, however, is undoubtedly luxurious.
It's equipped with leather massaging seats and armor to protect occupants from steel-core ammo fired from assault rifles and from explosive devices, according to Car and Driver. It's believed that was the vehicle his security escort ran alongside of during his first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last year. Kim was also spotted with a Rolls-Royce last year. Daimler, the company that owns Mercedes, told CNN it "has no indication on how the mentioned vehicles were delivered and where they come from.
To prevent deliveries to North Korea and to any of its embassies worldwide, Daimler has implemented a comprehensive export control process, which we consider appropriate and effective and which meets all requirements of the export control authorities," the company said in a statement to CNN. We always investigate the vehicles displayed on the photos in the media thoroughly. However, without the vehicle identification numbers it is impossible to find a concrete trace.
