Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about.
This week Brent from San Francisco asks:
I know there are not very many cars in North Korea, but what is the driving situation like? Do young teens dream of getting their drivers licenses? Is there a DMV?
This question immediately reminded me of a person that I have never stopped missing since I left North Korea — my younger brother who is still there. When he was six years old, he said he wanted to be an aide to General Kim and drive his car when he grew up. My sister and I encouraged his dream, thinking there would be no bigger honor. When I think about it now, I say to myself, ‘In how many countries would children desperately dream to be a driver?’ Aren’t dreams supposed to be a little bit too big and unrealistic to achieve? Actually, the dream of being a driver may be just unrealistic enough in North Korea, considering that my brother has not yet realized his dream.
Other than in a city like Pyongyang, you rarely see more than two or three cars a day on the road. In the countryside, people are more familiar with tractors than cars. Except on special occasions, when officials from the central government come to visit, rural people really don’t have many chances to see cars in person.
“I still remember how excited I got whenever I saw a car on the street”
When I was young, I lived in Kangwon province, a region that is surrounded by mountains. I still remember how excited I got whenever I saw a car on the street. I bragged about it to my friends all day saying ‘You know what I’ve just seen? A car! A black one. It just passed by on the new road.’ Then my friends joined me fussing about it, saying ‘Seriously? Do you think it will pass by again? Should we go out and wait?’ Then, we actually went out and waited for the car.
Now, I live in Seoul, a city that suffers from too many cars and painful congestion. Whenever I see cars out my window, I smile thinking about my old days in North Korea, where a car was the object of such great wonder. And nowadays, they make me feel the opposite way. The great admiration and excitement about cars that I once held in my mind has now turned into frustration and exhaustion on the congested roads of Seoul.
Driving conditions in North Korea are also very bad. Roads are rarely paved, except in very limited parts of the city. Usually, they are simply bare ground covered with pebbles or sand. And because they are not separated from the sidewalks, people have to step aside when they hear a car approaching behind them. They stand there covering their mouths and noses to prevent inhaling all the dust the cars kick up, then they wait until the cloud is gone and they can see again.
“The great admiration and excitement about cars that I once held in my mind has now turned into frustration and exhaustion on the congested roads of Seoul”
When it rains, the sand roads soak up the water. So, it’s not too bad for drivers. However, if the road is covered with moist soil, the rain turns it into a huge swamp. Another challenge comes from the unique characteristics of the North Korean landscape, a huge part of which is hilly and mountainous. Without tunnels penetrating them, you have to drive over them to get to the other side. From a distance, these roads look like thin white lines swirling around the mountain, which they have cut slightly to build the roads, which are actually very dangerous to drive. To make it worse, the roads are very sharply angled and there are no guardrails, so any small mistake means your car ends up off the road.
Despite all these dangers and difficulties, being a driver is still a coveted job among the younger generation. In North Korea, individuals are not permitted to own cars, the government assigns cars to high-level officials. And the drivers are assigned along with the cars, so drivers serve the highest level of North Korean elites. Interestingly, once you’re assigned a car, that doesn’t change even if the officer you work for changes. Therefore, when you become a driver, the car becomes an important part of your life even though you’re not allowed to use the car for personal use.
“Becoming a driver is quite competitive — the positions are pretty much limited to children from wealthy families or those of high-level executive officers”
Working as a driver also kind of guarantees a decent quality of life. Most of the government officials in North Korea are involved in bribery, and naturally, the drivers see everything that goes on. If a driver opens up his mouth, all the misdeeds of his boss will be easily uncovered. Moreover, because the drivers are not directly hired by the officers but assigned by the government, the officers do not have strong control over their drivers. North Korean people do not use bank accounts or credit cards, so the only way to deliver bribes is to hand money over directly, which makes it extremely hard to hide. So, officials make a concerted effort to maintain good relationship with their driver. Otherwise, their driver could easily turn into their watcher. Because of all these benefits — and the job security that comes with the job — becoming a driver is quite competitive. The positions are pretty much limited to children from wealthy families or those of high-level executive officers.
“Getting a driver’s license to begin with in North Korea takes a lot of time; there are only two driving academies nationwide”
Even getting a driver’s license to begin with in North Korea takes a lot of time; there are only two driving academies nationwide. When you enter the academy, you’re required to take a two-year long training course. It is difficult to get into those academies, and it is even more difficult to graduate, as the academies cannot afford enough gasoline to run the street-driving test, which is a requirement for graduation. Hundreds of students are waiting for their turn to take their test and graduate; some people wait for more than a year. Isn’t it ridiculous that a South Korean driver’s license can be issued in three days, but it takes more than three years in North Korea?
“Hundreds of students are waiting for their turn to take their test and graduate; some people wait for more than a year”
Because of this, bribing officials to get an illegal driver’s license has become commonplace in North Korea. Even if you have an illegal license, you can at least work as a truck driver. My brother did this — he learned how to drive a truck by shadowing one of his neighbors, a truck driver, all day for a couple of months. However, after I left North Korea, I heard unfortunate news that he broke his arm in an accident with the truck. I felt really bad that I could not do anything for my injured baby brother.
I sometimes daydream about what I could do for my brother when we meet again one day. I think it would be great if I could help him open up a driving school. I believe he would make a great driving instructor, with his love and passion for cars and driving. Now, my question is, when will that day finally come?
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Editing and translation by Ashley Cho
Artwork by Catherine Salkeld
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