Many more young North Koreans are learning car repair skills to earn a living amid the recent rise in used cars entering the country from China. Acquiring technical skills has become a realistic way to earn money and build assets.
“More young people have recently learned car or motorcycle repair skills,” a Daily NK source in Ryanggang province said recently. “People in their late 20s to mid-30s are learning these skills, regardless of their marital status.”
With the recent rise in the number of car owners and operators in North Korea, demand for learning car repair skills has naturally grown. Given the frequent need for repairs, as most cars imported from China are old and often break down, auto repair is becoming a new market for making money.
In the past, car repair was an occupation North Koreans avoided. There were few cars in the country, and the occupation carried the image of hard labor because its practitioners’ bodies and clothing were often covered in grease and oil.
However, as demand for auto repairs naturally rises with the recent growth in the number of cars in North Korea, having car repair skills has become a sure way to make money. Young people are especially keen on auto repair as it allows them to earn money with little initial investment.
In fact, some young people are paying individuals with car repair skills to learn from them. This has become a recent trend, with the number of young people who wish to learn auto repair skills continuing to grow, the source said.
Young father seeks self-sufficiency
A young person in his 30s in Hyesan has been learning auto repair skills for about a month to provide for his family. According to the source, the man “felt that after getting married and having a kid, his wife couldn’t support the family as the sole earner.” Accordingly, he “looked at ways to make money without seed money and found that people his age were flocking to learn car or motorcycle repair, so he also began learning it.”
“The only thing I’m thinking about now is learning repair skills and saving money,” the man said. “I want to make money and raise our child with my wife free from want and reduce the burden on my parents, about whom I always worry because I can’t help them financially.”
This trend among young people contrasts starkly with the establishment view that all one needs to do is perform their assigned work well.
In particular, in the past, North Korean men were locked in a patriarchal mindset — they believed all they needed to do was focus on their workplace with assistance from their wives. However, young men today have turned their sights to well-paying jobs because they strongly wish to take care of their families themselves.
“Young people are interested in work that can generate income,” the source said. “Above all, repair work is becoming a practical means to earn a living among young people who can count on little help from their parents or come from poor backgrounds.”
“More young people will pursue private economic activity, attending their assigned workplaces only on paper,” the source said. “Nowadays, no matter how much the state tries to tie young people to organizational activities, young people prioritize making a living on their own, and the state will find it hard to reverse this.”
December 30, 2025 at 03:22AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)