North Korean women are quietly gaining ground in an area where they have long faced restrictions — on the road. 

Until very recently, it was universally assumed in North Korea that driving was not — and should not be — a woman’s job. Women were not only excluded from such positions; they were barred from enrolling in driving courses and were effectively denied access to driver’s licenses.

According to unconfirmed rumors, women from the upper elite were very rarely granted special exceptions, but this was far from the norm. In this regard, North Korea closely resembled present-day Turkmenistan, or Saudi