{"id":62848,"date":"2025-03-31T16:54:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T07:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=62848"},"modified":"2026-04-05T15:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T06:46:13","slug":"n-korean-smugglers-import-used-vehicles-as-transportation-business-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/n-korean-smugglers-import-used-vehicles-as-transportation-business-grows\/","title":{"rendered":"N. Korean smugglers import used vehicles as transportation business grows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">North Korea is smuggling used vehicles, including four-door trucks and motorcycles, into Hyesan. These vehicles are in high demand among private businesspeople who use them to transport goods.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">&#8220;State-sanctioned smugglers are bringing used trucks and motorcycles into Hyesan from China. Many of these smuggled vehicles are being sent to other parts of the country,&#8221; a source in Ryanggang province told Daily NK recently.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">According to the source, smuggling operations were temporarily halted while China tightened border controls during the &#8220;Two Sessions&#8221; (meetings of the National People&#8217;s Congress and the Chinese People&#8217;s Political Consultative Conference) from March 4 to 11.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">However, since operations resumed on March 14, large numbers of used trucks and motorcycles have been flowing into Hyesan. The source explained that these vehicles are relatively easy for smugglers to transport and generate decent profits due to steady demand inside North Korea.<\/p>\n<div data-test-render-count=\"1\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"group relative -tracking-[0.015em] bg-[linear-gradient(to_bottom,_hsla(var(--bg-000)\/0.75)_0%,_hsla(var(--bg-000)_\/_0)_90%)] rounded-2xl pt-3.5 px-4 pb-[1.125rem] before:absolute before:inset-0 before:bg-[radial-gradient(ellipse_at_left_top,_hsla(var(--bg-000)\/0.5)_0%,_hsla(var(--bg-000)\/0.3)_60%)] before:rounded-2xl before:border-[0.5px] before:border-[hsla(var(--border-100)\/0.15)] before:shadow-[0_4px_24px_hsl(var(--always-black)\/1.5%)] before:[transition:opacity_150ms_ease-out,_transform_250ms_cubic-bezier(0.695,0.555,0.655,1.650)] before:z-0 before:data-[is-streaming=&quot;true&quot;]:opacity-0 before:data-[is-streaming=&quot;true&quot;]:scale-[0.995] before:data-[is-streaming=&quot;false&quot;]:pointer-events-none\" data-is-streaming=\"false\">\n<div class=\"font-claude-message relative leading-[1.65rem] [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:bg-bg-300 [&amp;_.ignore-pre-bg&gt;div]:bg-transparent [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,ul,ol)]:pr-4 md:[&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,ul,ol)]:pr-8\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border-image: initial; --tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: hsl(var(--accent-secondary-100)\/1); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; outline-color: hsl(var(--accent-main-100)); scrollbar-color: hsl(var(--border-300)\/.8) transparent; position: relative; line-height: 1.65rem; font-family: var(--font-claude-message); border: 0px solid hsl(var(--border-100));\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"grid-cols-1 grid gap-2.5 [&amp;_&gt;_*]:min-w-0\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; border-image: initial; --tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: hsl(var(--accent-secondary-100)\/1); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; outline-color: hsl(var(--accent-main-100)); scrollbar-color: hsl(var(--border-300)\/.8) transparent; display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(1, minmax(0px, 1fr)); gap: 0.625rem; border: 0px solid hsl(var(--border-100));\">\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">Used trucks currently sell for 55,000\u201365,000 Chinese yuan ($7,600\u2013$9,000) and used motorcycles for 7,000\u201310,000 yuan ($970\u2013$1,380) in Hyesan. Smugglers reportedly earn about 2,000\u20133,000 yuan ($275\u2013$415) per truck and 400 yuan ($55) per motorcycle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">While the profit margin might seem modest per vehicle, it becomes more lucrative when smugglers move ten vehicles at once. This is why they&#8217;ve adopted a strategy of moving vehicles in bulk, the source explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">&#8220;Previously, smugglers wouldn&#8217;t bother with low-profit ventures. But as illegal business gets increasingly difficult, they&#8217;re willing to take on less profitable activities as long as the risks are low,&#8221; the source said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">North Koreans in the taxi business are purchasing these smuggled trucks to maximize earnings by transporting both passengers and goods.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">&#8220;Taxi drivers with sedans struggle to make money when passenger numbers are low. That&#8217;s why business owners now prefer trucks, which can transport goods when there are no passengers,&#8221; the source said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">Demand for motorcycles has also increased with the arrival of warmer weather.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">&#8220;It&#8217;s too cold in winter to make much money transporting people by motorcycle. But in warmer weather, you can earn good money using your bike as a taxi. That&#8217;s likely why more people are buying motorcycles now that the weather has improved,&#8221; the source said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">Since the economic hardship of the 1990s known as the &#8220;Arduous March,&#8221; North Korean women have typically supported their families through business activities in the jangmadang (informal marketplaces). Men usually focused on their poorly paid state-mandated jobs, but widespread economic troubles are now pushing men to contribute financially as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">&#8220;With people struggling to make ends meet, men have become much more serious about earning income. Notably, there&#8217;s a growing trend among young people to operate small transportation businesses using trucks or cars,&#8221; the source said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/20250324-4\/\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Korea is smuggling used vehicles, including four-door trucks and motorcycles, into Hyesan. These vehicles are in high demand among private businesspeople who use them to transport goods. &#8220;State-sanctioned smugglers are bringing used trucks and motorcycles into Hyesan from China. Many of these smuggled vehicles are being sent to other parts of the country,&#8221; a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":42487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,649],"tags":[271,717,738,759,1059,1430],"class_list":["post-62848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-china-north-korea-border","tag-ryanggang-province","tag-smuggling","tag-hyesan","tag-china","tag-vehicles","tag-youth"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>N. Korean smugglers import used vehicles as transportation business grows - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"North Korea is smuggling used vehicles, including four-door trucks and motorcycles, into Hyesan, Daily NK has learned.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/n-korean-smugglers-import-used-vehicles-as-transportation-business-grows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"N. 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