Three low ranking managers at a car management office in Pyongyang have been referred to prosecutors on charges of secretly renting out state owned vehicles to private business people for profit, Daily NK has learned.
A source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Wednesday that the three, employees of the Mangyongdae Motor Vehicle Office, are accused of secretly renting out state vehicles that came into the office’s possession to private donju, North Korea’s class of informally wealthy entrepreneurs, from May to July and pocketing large sums of cash in return.
The three reportedly avoided detection by running the scheme outside of work hours and on holidays, but were ultimately caught by the organization’s internal surveillance system. Once the case came to light, party officials at the office tried to distance themselves from any oversight responsibility by claiming they knew nothing about it.
A familiar pattern of shielding those at the top
The source criticized that response as a “classic case of cutting off the tail,” a phrase North Koreans use for shielding senior officials by pinning blame on lower ranking staff, and said that using state owned cars to run a rental business had long been an open secret within the office.
While the three who were caught are likely to bear full responsibility, whether the officials behind them and the private business people who used the vehicles will also be punished remains unclear. The case is expected to trigger a wide ranging inspection of car management offices nationwide.
Reporting from inside North Korea
Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.
Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea — discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.
Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what’s happening inside one of the world’s most closed societies.
August 27, 2026 at 03:50PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)