Rifle, fur hat, drones: North Korea’s Kim returns with gifts from Russia

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was

on his way home on Monday,

most likely with gifts from his Russian hosts, including a rifle, a cosmonaut’s glove and military drones – which, on their own, are a violation of United Nations sanctions.

Here are some of the items he is taking back to the “friendship” museum, where gifts received by the North’s three generations of leaders are kept.

Gifts from Russia

After his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Kim received a Russian-made rifle “of the highest quality”, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Mr Kim reciprocated with a rifle for Mr Putin “made by North Korean craftsmen”.

Mr Putin also presented Mr Kim with a glove from a spacesuit that was worn in space, Russia’s Tass news agency said.

Mr Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorsky region, presented Mr Kim with a set of modern, lightweight body armour designed for assault operations that protects the chest, shoulders, throat and groin, Russian media said.

Mr Kim was also presented with five one-way attack drones and a Geranium-25 reconnaissance drone, which is widely used in the war in Ukraine, Tass said.

That violates at least two UN Security Council resolutions against the North – which Moscow voted to approve – that were imposed over the North’s banned missile and nuclear activities.

Mr Kim received a fur hat from Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Vladivostok, where he inspected Russian nuclear bombers, fighter jets equipped with hypersonic missiles and a warship.

There had been a scramble to determine the right size of the hat, Russia’s RIA news agency reported. Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang, Mr Alexander Matsegora, suggested a size slightly smaller than his own “very large head”, which turned out to be just right.

“It’s also important that this is a gift from the heart. And Comrade Kim Jong Un liked it,” Mr Matsegora said.

Mr Kim began his Russian visit with a stop in the border town of Khasan, where he was presented with a photo of Yuri Gagarin, the cosmonaut who was the first human to orbit the Earth.

‘Comparable to Louvre’

North Korea has put much effort into showcasing the gifts that Mr Kim, as well as his father Kim Jong Il and grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung, received from foreign dignitaries, with a special museum dedicated to them.

Nestled in the Myohyang Mountain 160km from Pyongyang, the International Friendship Exhibition consists of two imposing concrete structures in a traditional architectural style with blue tiled roofs.

Opened in 1978, the museum comprises more than 100 showrooms, with over 115,000 items from more than 200 countries, according to the North’s state media.

The scale and importance of the collection make it comparable to the Louvre in Paris, North Korea’s state media has said.

Who else sent gifts?

The collection includes crystalware sent by then US President Jimmy Carter, a teacup set from then French President Francois Mitterrand, a basketball signed by sports star Michael Jordan given by then US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during her visit in 2000, and a rifle given by the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Propaganda plays heavily into how gifts from South Koreans are displayed, with a large-screen television set from former president Kim Dae-jung, who engaged Pyongyang with peace policies, shown prominently.

A Dynasty sedan, which was Hyundai Motor’s flagship, was given to Mr Kim Jong Il by the North Korean-born founder of the Hyundai Group, Mr Chung Ju-yung, who spearheaded investment in the North after the 2000 inter-Korea summit. REUTERS