State media say the car trips are “clear evidence” of the close and deepening relationship between the two countries.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took his first ride in the luxury car given to him by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Pyongyang and Moscow have forged closer ties since Kim met Putin in Russia last September, their first summit in four years.
Putin also invited Kim to test drive his high-end Aurus Senat limousine, and the vehicle arrived in Pyongyang in February.
On Friday, Kim used the car for the first time, according to his sister and prominent government official Kim Yo Jong.
The trip was “a clear proof of the friendship between the DPRK and Russia, which is comprehensively developing at a new stage,” Kim Yo Jong said, according to state-run KCNA, using the acronym of North Korea's official name. , the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
According to Russian state media, Aurus is Russia's first luxury car brand and has been used in motorcades of senior officials since Putin first used an Aurus limousine during his inauguration ceremony in 2018.
Kim Jong Un, 40, has a collection of foreign-made luxury cars believed to have been smuggled into the country. During his visit to Russia, he traveled between meeting places in a Maybach limousine that he brought with him on his special train. Other limousines Kim has reportedly used include a Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard and a Maybach S62.
A 2021 United Nations report highlighted an attempted shipment of luxury vehicles worth more than $1 million allegedly from the United Arab Emirates to Ningbo, China, for subsequent delivery to North Korea.
North Korea and Russia have grown closer over the past year as North Korea advances its weapons and nuclear programs and Moscow continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United States and South Korea have expressed concern that North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons to use in its war in Ukraine in exchange for technological expertise.
Russia and China, North Korea's oldest ally, have repeatedly blocked attempts to impose new U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its banned ballistic missile tests.
South Korea's Unification Ministry said it had assessed that the gift of the Aurus also constituted a violation of U.N. sanctions.
“We condemn North Korea for its brazen attitude in publicly revealing violations of UN sanctions,” a ministry official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Russia should also be aware of its responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and stop an act that undermines international norms,” the official added.
