North Korea is a unique country, which is known for its complete isolation from the rest of the world. The authorities strictly control the lives of citizens, most of the technology we know is not there, and they even make movies in their own way. North Korea has the largest army in terms of numbers, and it is actively developing its nuclear program. There are many interesting things to say about this country, for example, about the North Korean auto industry. There are several car production factories operating on the territory of this closed country. In most cases, these are copies of foreign cars that everyone knows about.
There are many copies of Soviet-made cars in North Korea. Source: foreignpolicy.com
Contents
- 1 First automobile plant of the DPRK
- 2 Trucks of North Korea
- 3 North Korean cars
- 4 Korean cars Pyeonghwa Motors
- 5 Cars of Kim Jong-un
- 6 How many cars are there in North Korea
The first automobile plant of the DPRK
For many years, the DPRK used Soviet equipment. Only after a while did Soviet engineers hand over documentation of some of their cars, and licensed copies of Soviet vehicles began to be produced in North Korea.
Initially, there were practically no cars in the DPRK. Source: newauto46.ru
The North Korean automobile industry began operations in 1950, after the construction of the Sungri Motor Plant. After opening, he was unable to immediately earn money due to a number of political problems.
North Korean trucks
The first product of this plant was released only in 1958 – it was the Sungri-58 truck. At its core, it was a clone of our GAZ-51 truck, but with less reliable components and greater fuel consumption. A little later, the plant produced a six-wheeled model Sungri-60 with a load capacity of up to 10 tons. It is noteworthy that some modifications of these trucks were equipped with wood-burning gas generators, that is, they literally ran on wood – in conditions of fuel shortage, this was the best alternative.
Sungri-58 truck. Source: travelthewholeworld.com
Soviet GAZ-51 truck. Source: avtotema.mediasalt.ru
Another notable product of the very first automobile plant was the Sungri 64 and Jaju 64 models. These were copies of the Soviet KrAZ-256 dump truck – after their release, the Sungri-60 truck mentioned above was no longer needed, because the new models also had six wheels.< /p>
North Korean Jaju 64 Truck. Source: bigmacktrucks.com
Soviet KrAZ-256 truck. Source: dima-sychev.ru
North Korea even produced a copy of the Belarusian BelAZ. The model was called Sungrisan 25 or Konsor 25. They were capable of transporting loads weighing up to 25 tons and reaching speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour.
Truck Konsor-25. Source: wikiwarriors.org
In the future, the Sungri Motor Plant did not stop its work and still produces modernized versions of the machines listed above.
Read also: Which USSR cars were copied from their Western counterparts?
North Korean cars
In the 20th century, North Korean authorities drove Achimkoy passenger cars, which are a clone of the GAZ Pobeda. The name of this model is translated from Korean as “Morning Flower.”
North Korean car Achimkoy. Source: like-motors.ru
Soviet GAZ “Pobeda”. Source: dzen.ru
The Kaengsaeng 88 passenger car model deserves special attention. In the 1980s, North Korea bought several Mercedes-Benz 190E samples from Thailand and local engineers were able to create copies of them. Externally, the North Korean and foreign cars looked the same, except that the Mercedes badge was replaced with the emblem of the Pyongsang Auto Works company, which assembled the clone.
North Korean car Kaengsaeng 88. Source: autonews.ru
The North Korean model had a very big minus – there was no ventilation system in the cabin, which is why a lot of dust got in while driving. Only a few copies of the Kaengsaeng 88 were released, because the assembly was done by hand. The small number of copies and manual work emphasized the “luxury” of the car. There are rumors that North Korean engineers did not use a foreign engine, and equipped the car with an engine from the GAZ-69.
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Korean cars Pyeonghwa Motors
In North Korea there is a Pyeonghwa Motors plant which, unexpectedly, is a joint venture with South Korea. The plant is located in the city of Nampo and, using licenses, produces copies of foreign cars Brilliance, DanDong and Fiat in the DPRK. The plant has been actively operating since 2002, but after the death of the project’s founder Moon Sun Myung, it began to produce fewer models. Despite this, the Pyeonghwa Motors plant remains one of the most important in the DPRK and its capacity is enough to produce 10,000 cars per year.
One of the most famous products of the Pyeonghwa Motors plant is a copy of the Fiat Siena. In North Korea, the clone was named Hwiparam I, which literally translates to “Whistle.”
North Korean passenger car Hwiparam I. Source: autonews.ru
The plant also produced the Ppeokkugi I car, the name of which translates as “cuckoo”. It was a copy of the Fiat Doblo, which was not popular and was produced for about two years.
North Korean car Ppeokkugi I. Source: usedcars.ru
In March 2004, the plant produced the Ppeokkugi II, which is a North Korean version of the Chinese Dandong Shuguang. In 2008, the Ppeokkugi 4WD-1 was produced, which is a clone of the Chinese Shuguang (Huanghai) CUV Landscape. In 2013, this model was slightly redesigned and is now called the Ppeokkugi 2405.
Ppeokkugi II car. Source: prosamodelki.ru
Ppeokkugi 4WD-1 car. Source: wikipedia.org
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Kim Jong-un's cars
All these “whistles” and “cuckoos” are intended for ordinary people. In the 2000s, the DPRK elite produced cars of the Zunma brand, the name of which translates as “horse.” You might think that this is another copy of a Mercedes, but no – the basis for creating a luxury car was the South Korean Ssangyong Chairman.
North Korean car Zunma. Source: wikipedia.org
Today, the leader of the DPRK drives different cars. For example, in 2023, it was noticed that he uses a Mercedes-Benz Maybach S650 as a personal car. In 2019, a representative of the country came to Russia on an armored train, he left Pyongyang and arrived in Vladivostok. On business, he traveled in an imported Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard limousine, which turned out to be so long that the authorities had to slightly widen the station gates.
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How many cars are there in North Korea
In general, cars are rare in North Korea; many ordinary people do not have their own car. Most of the population goes to work by public transport, which includes trolleybuses and trams. They are produced both within the country at our own factories and supplied from other friendly countries.
There are not many cars on the roads in North Korea. Source: tripadvisor.ru
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The main car manufacturers of the DPRK remain Pyeonghwa Motors and Sungri Motor Plan, which do not stand still and are still improving their equipment. Cars are also supplied from Russia to North Korea – for example, in 2008, she bought several hundred cars from AvtoVAZ. The Lada Priora models are most often found on the streets of the DPRK.