North Korea is ordering custom electric bicycles from Chinese manufacturers and importing the finished products to meet rising domestic demand. At the same time, it appears to be laying the groundwork for a domestic e-bike brand, a source said.
A source who monitors North Korea told Daily NK on Wednesday that North Korea has recently expanded cooperation with Chinese electric bicycle producers. Authorized agencies are ordering custom-made e-bikes and importing them to boost supply, the source said.
“Outside observers often assume North Korea simply imports Chinese-made electric bicycles as is, but that is not the case,” the source said. Agencies authorized by North Korea’s Ministry of External Economic Relations sign contracts directly with Chinese companies. They order products built to North Korea’s own specifications.
The source added that North Korean buyers negotiate costs, design, color, motor output, battery capacity, top speed and driving range item by item with Chinese manufacturers. In effect, Chinese factories build custom products for the North Korean market and ship them north, the source said.
Electric bicycle contracts detail custom specifications
Contract documents the source provided to Daily NK showed detailed specifications by model. The contracts were between North Korea and Tianjin Liangma Technology Co., a Chinese company. They included motor output of 400 or 800 watts and 48-volt, 30-amp-hour batteries. Top speeds ranged from 35 to 50 kilometers per hour, with driving ranges of 85 to 105 kilometers, plus specified braking systems.
Some models also included near-field communication chips, electronic gear shifters and USB charging ports. Supply prices ranged from 2,160 to 2,380 Chinese yuan per unit, or roughly $319 to $352.
The source said more than 20,000 units are packaged and shipped to North Korea in a single batch. For now, North Korea is importing finished products from China to supply its markets. But authorities are also preparing to bring in equipment and technology. The eventual goal is a domestic brand, the source said.
The strategy goes beyond simply importing finished Chinese products, according to the source. North Korea is working with China to build domestic production facilities. Along the way, it is absorbing technology, factory management know-how and quality control methods.
North Korea has recently expanded joint projects with China across multiple sectors, combining facility investment with technology transfer. Electric bicycle production appears to follow the same pattern: an incremental strategy to localize manufacturing through cooperation with China.
“North Korea appears to be using China’s production capacity for now,” the source said. The eventual goal is a domestic production system and products under its own brand, according to the source. “This is one example of North Korea’s manufacturing strategy: import contracted finished goods first to gauge market demand, then move toward domestic production,” the source said.
Demand for electric bicycles and electric motorcycles has risen sharply in North Korea amid higher global oil prices. Sales are increasing at state-run stores and jangmadang, the informal markets where most North Koreans buy daily necessities. Battery-powered transportation carries lower fuel costs than gasoline motorcycles. It is also comparatively easy to maintain, driving growing demand, the source said.
Reporting from inside North Korea
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July 15, 2026 at 10:56PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)