Hyundai's Staria minivans escort North's Kim Jong-un while in Russia

Industry

Published: 21 Sep. 2023, 16:50

Hyundai's Staria minivans escort North's Kim Jong-un while in Russia

Four Hyundai Motor’s Staria minivans served as security cars for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to Russia earlier in the month. [YONHAP]

Four Hyundai Motor’s Staria minivans were seen serving as security cars for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to Russia earlier in the month.

Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central Television broadcasted footage of the vehicles Wednesday in a 90-minute documentary on Kim's recent trip to Russia, titled “An Incident that Led to a New Milestone for the Development of North Korea-Russia Relations.”

In the scene, four Starias with Hyundai Motor emblems are escorting Kim's Mercedes-Benz. The North Korean leader was on his way to Vladivostok after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport on Sept. 13.

The Russian government appears to have provided the security vehicles, considering their Russian license plates, according to South Korean news reports.

North Korean broadcasters rarely reveal unedited footage with the logos of South Korean companies, preferring instead to edit or blur out the symbols.

Hyundai Motor’s Staria minivan [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

When airing last year's Qatar World Cup, Korean Central Television edited out the Hyundai Motor advertisements that surrounded the football pitch, making them unrecognizable.

Introduced in 2021, the Staria boasts a futuristic design and spacious interior. It is Hyundai's first minivan in 22 years since the Trajet XG.

Hyundai was the No. 1 automaker in Russia before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Its Saint-Petersburg plant produced Solaris sedans and Creta SUVs, with an annual production capacity of 200,000.

However, the plant paused operations in March. Hyundai's Russia subsidiary has posted nearly 500 billion won ($373 million) of losses since the war.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]