Kim Jong-un flaunts Swiss watch; Kim Yo-jong carries Dior bag in Beijing

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wearing a watch on his left wrist, circled in red, embraces Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, Wednesday. Captured from Kremlin website

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his sister Kim Yo-jong have once again drawn attention for flaunting luxury European brands during their recent trip to Beijing, despite Pyongyang’s own crackdowns on capitalist culture and an international ban on luxury imports.

According to analysis by NK News on Thursday, photos released by the Kremlin show Kim Jong-un wearing what appears to be an IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic wristwatch while embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin during Victory Day events in the Chinese capital.

The Swiss timepiece retails for $14,100 on the manufacturer’s website and has frequently been spotted on Kim’s wrist in recent years, including during his September 2023 visit to Russia.

Kim’s younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, also appeared at the event carrying a black Lady Dior handbag made from lambskin, which is estimated to cost over $7,500.

The bag is the same model she carried during her brother’s Russia trip in 2023, when other delegation members were also photographed with high-end designer accessories.

Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, circled in red, carries a black handbag as she walks toward Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official car with her brother Kim Jong-un for a separate meeting in Beijing, Wednesday. Captured from Kremlin website

Such displays stand in stark contrast to Pyongyang’s official stance. North Korea has long denounced luxury goods as symbols of “bourgeois culture,” with authorities harshly punishing citizens found in possession of them.

Yet, members of the Kim family and other elites continue to appear with items from Dior, Gucci, and Bulgari, and Kim himself was recently seen driving a Maybach SUV even as parts of the country reeled from devastating floods.

Kim Jong-un departed Pyongyang on Monday, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, and attended the Victory Day commemoration the following day. He held separate talks with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping before returning home by special train Thursday.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.