Kim Jong-un drives car gifted by Putin ‘clear proof’ of strengthened friendship

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly rode in a car presented to him by Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media reported on Saturday, in “clear evidence” of the strengthening friendship between the two countries.

Pyongyang and Moscow have forged closer ties since Kim met Putin in Russia in September and vowed to deepen military ties. They deny Western accusations that North Korea provided Russia with artillery shells and missiles used by Putin in his invasion of Ukraine.

Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said Kim Jong Un’s ride in a Russian Orus limousine on Friday “clearly proves that the friendship between North Korea and Russia is developing comprehensively at a new high level,” North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported. North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Kim Jong Un oversaw air combat drills on Friday and urged “realistic” combat preparations after annual joint drills between South Korea and the United States ended this week, KCNA said.

“Only realistic training directly related to war can enable soldiers to become real combat warriors,” Kim Jong Un said, according to KCNA.

The joint drills between South Korea and the United States are the first since Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at easing tensions last November.

Kim Jong Un also attended the opening ceremony of a greenhouse farm on Friday, KCNA reported. Photos show Kim Jong-un’s daughter Joo-ae attending the drills and opening ceremony.