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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

South Korean Foreign Ministry calls Aurus gifted to Kim Jong-un violation of UN sanctions

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said Seoul would make diplomatic efforts in cooperation with the international community to fully implement the UN resolutions

SEOUL, February 20. /TASS/. South Korea’s authorities believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin giving North Korean leader Kim Jong-un an Aurus car as a gift violates United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said.

"As for the gift of a passenger car, all UN member states must comply with UNSC sanctions against North Korea. These sanctions prohibit the indirect or direct supply, sale, transfer to the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] of vehicles corresponding to items 86-89 in the HS-code standardized commodity coding system, regardless of where they are manufactured, including luxury cars," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said at a briefing.

The Republic of Korea is closely monitoring Russia-DPRK interaction, he added. "Exchanges and cooperation between Russia and North Korea should take place in a way that promotes peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula while respecting resolutions," the diplomat said. He said Seoul will make diplomatic efforts in cooperation with the international community to fully implement the UN resolutions.

The Korean Central News Agency earlier reported that Vladimir Putin presented North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with a Russian-made car. Later, the spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed to TASS that it was an Aurus executive car.

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Situation on the Korean Peninsula

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