Sanctions can't stop Kim Jong

Kim Jong-un's car, spotted before Kim's meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appears to be a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Yonhap

By Lee Min-young

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted in what appeared to be his gleaming new Rolls-Royce Phantom as he arrived for his latest meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang on Oct. 7.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom is one of the world most luxurious automobiles and carries a price tag of up to 1 billion won.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom. Captured from the official Rolls-Royce website

Kim is said to have a special taste in luxury cars. He took his top-class Mercedes limousine on trips around the country and to foreign engagements, including his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Kim's Mercedes. Yonhap

It is unknown whether Kim's "Phantom" was recently added to his collection.

If it was, it comes despite the regime being under heavy U.S.-led sanctions. Trump has been insisting that the international community must strictly enforce the U.N. sanctions until North Korea lives up to its promise to denuclearize.

Earlier this year and back in 2017, several rounds of restrictive measures were taken against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program. Since 2006, the United Nations Security Council has banned all imports of luxury goods to North Korea, with high-end cars also added to the list.