Putin and Kim seen laughing in Russian-made limousine after inking mutual defense pact

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were seen laughing as they took turns to drive each other around in a Russian-built limousine during Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang in 24 years.

In footage released by North Korean state media agency KCNA on Thursday, the two autocrats appear to enjoy each other’s company as they take a jaunt in the Aurus luxury car. The carefully-choreographed moment shows Putin taking a turn in the driving seat first while Kim sits in the passenger seat, before the two swap places.

The images are designed to highlight the close bond between the leaders, who say they have ramped up ties to a “new level” during the Russian president’s rare visit to the reclusive state this week.

North Korea and Russia inked a new defense pact during the visit, pledging to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event the other is attacked.

The pact, which comes against the backdrop of Putin’s grinding war against Ukraine, is the most significant agreement signed by Russia and North Korea in decades and is seen as something of a revival of their 1961 Cold War-era mutual defense pledge. It also consolidates the Kim regime’s powerful link with a world power that wields a veto on the UN Security Council.

On Wednesday, Putin presented Kim with an Aurus car as the pair exchanged gifts, according to Russian state media – the second time the Kremlin leader has given his counterpart this car model. According to Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, the Russian leader also presented Kim with a tea set.