North Korea plans to expand private car ownership nationwide. Provincial residents welcome this, but worry whether authorities plan to bolster public surveillance and control through car ownership.
“An order was issued to the public on Jan. 8, enabling private car ownership in not only Pyongyang but also in provincial regions,” a source in North Korea told Daily NK recently. “The focus of the order is that anyone over the age of 24 with a driver’s license can register and operate a vehicle under a private individual’s name.”
The order appears to be a follow-up measure to the 2024 revision of North Korea’s car ownership law. Now, ordinary people can legally own cars—once the preserve of officials or the privileged class—ostensibly thanks to the “consideration” of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, the source said.
“The state promotes the change as intended to improve the country’s outdated transportation practices and allow the people to enjoy a rich car culture, but it appears to be a move to generate foreign currency,” the source said.
Given that North Korea cannot produce cars on its own, it imports vehicles through traders in regions along the border with China. The direct or indirect provision, sale, or transfer of means of transportation to North Korea is banned by U.N. Security Council sanctions, but the flow of cars into North Korea is gradually increasing through smuggling with China.
Monthly inspections and registration concerns
North Korean authorities also specified car management duties in the order. The duties focus on car owners having their vehicles regularly inspected by police monthly or quarterly.
This suggests the goal is to assess how outdated cars are while simultaneously examining whether the owner follows traffic safety rules when operating their vehicle.
“When the order was issued, some wealthy people welcomed the move, saying they could now own a car without having to worry that somebody would notice,” the source said. However, some people expressed concern that authorities “might have suspicions about where I got the money for a car if I register a vehicle” and that car owners “would become a target of control from the moment they registered the car.”
Meanwhile, the order also warned that authorities would strictly control the operation of motorcycles, long one of the people’s primary means of transportation.
“The state points out that in Southeast Asia and developing countries, roads are clogged with motorcycles with a high risk of accidents,” the source said. “It said that the cost of registering motorcycles would sharply rise, or that operation rules would be bolstered.” This suggests the state wants to encourage car purchases.
“People who have used motorcycles to do business complain that you need money to buy a car, and since they can’t even dream of a car since they lack the cash, they won’t be able to survive if they can’t use a motorcycle,” the source said.
January 21, 2026 at 07:08PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)