On Monday, Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, will return home. He most likely will bring with him gifts from his Russian guests, including a weapon, a cosmonaut's glove, and military drones, all of which are in violation of U.N. sanctions.
He is bringing them to the "friendship" museum, which houses presents received by the North's three generations of leaders, as reported by Reuters.
An Exchange of Gifts
Kim was given a weapon "of the highest quality" after his meeting with Russian President Putin, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Putin received a gun "made by North Korean craftsmen" as retaliation from Kim. Putin also displayed a glove taken from a spacesuit.
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorsky region, gave Kim a set of contemporary, lightweight body armor made for assault operations that shields the chest, shoulders, throat, and crotch.
(Photo: by VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
This pool image distributed by Sputnik agency shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during his meeting with the Russian President at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur region on September 13, 2023, ahead of planned talks that could lead to a weapons deal with the Russian President.
A Geranium-25 reconnaissance drone and five one-way assault drones, all of which are commonly employed in the conflict in Ukraine, were also sent to Kim.
That contravenes a minimum of two U.N. Moscow-supported Security Council resolutions against the North because of its prohibited missile and nuclear operations.
In Vladivostok, where he viewed Russian nuclear bombers, fighter fighters armed with hypersonic missiles, and a vessel, Kim was presented with a fur cap by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The correct hat size had to be determined. Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador in Pyongyang, suggested a size that was somewhat smaller than his own "very large head," and it worked out to be the perfect size.
Kim started his trip with a stop in Khasan, a Russian border town, where he was given a picture of Yuri Gagarin, the first person to circle the Earth.
Read also: North Korea Reveals First Tactical Nuclear-Powered Submarine, Marking 'New Chapter' for Navy
To Be Displayed in North Korea
The presents that Kim, his father, Kim Jong-il, and grandfather, state founder Kim Il Sung, received from foreign dignitaries are being prominently displayed by North Korea, which has dedicated a special museum for them.
The International Friendship Exhibition is a pair of massive concrete buildings with blue tiled roofs that are located in the hills of the Myohyangsan mountain 160 kilometers (99 miles) from Pyongyang.
The museum was established in 1978 and contains more than 100 showrooms with more than 115,000 artifacts from more than 200 nations. The collection is similar in size and significance to that of the Louvre in Paris.
There is a crystal in the collection that was once owned by Americans. President Jimmy Carter received a basketball that was personally signed by Michael Jordan, a set of tea cups from French President Francois Mitterrand, and gifts from former U.S. During her visit in 2000, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright received a rifle from the late Fidel Castro of Cuba.
The large-screen television from former president Kim Dae-jung, who engaged Pyongyang with peace policies, received a prominent showing. Propaganda is a major factor in how gifts from South Koreans are shown.
Chung Ju-yung, the founder of the Hyundai Group and a native of North Korea, gave Kim Jong Il the Dynasty sedan as a present. Chung Ju-yung was the driving force behind investment in the North following the 2000 inter-Korean summit.
Related article: US Warns Not To Sell Arms to Russia as Kim Jong Un Arrives in Moscow To Meet Vladimir Putin
