Frozen roads, fast cash: How North Koreans made fortunes smuggling cars to China



Columns Frozen roads, fast cash: How North Koreans made fortunes smuggling cars to China DPRK entrepreneurs exploited border gaps to sell used Japanese cars for a decade, even driving them over frozen rivers Andrei Lankov January 8, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Image: Pexels North Korea is notorious for the elaborate lengths that it goes to import sensitive items in defiance of international sanctions, from missile components and refined petroleum to luxury bags and vehicles. But there was a time in the not-so-distant past when high-value goods were not being shipped into the DPRK but out, and in the process making some North Koreans a lot of money. If you found yourself at the border between North Korea and China in the late 1990s or early 2000s, especially during the dead of a frigid winter night, you might have occasionally witnessed an unusual scene © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Columns

Frozen roads, fast cash: How North Koreans made fortunes smuggling cars to China

DPRK entrepreneurs exploited border gaps to sell used Japanese cars for a decade, even driving them over frozen rivers

Andrei Lankov January 8, 2025

Frozen roads, fast cash: How North Koreans made fortunes smuggling cars to China

North Korea is notorious for the elaborate lengths that it goes to import sensitive items in defiance of international sanctions, from missile components and refined petroleum to luxury bags and vehicles.

But there was a time in the not-so-distant past when high-value goods were not being shipped into the DPRK but out, and in the process making some North Koreans a lot of money.

If you found yourself at the border between North Korea and China in the late 1990s or early 2000s, especially during the dead of a frigid winter night, you might have occasionally witnessed an unusual scene

Frozen roads, fast cash: How North Koreans made fortunes smuggling cars to China

Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most –

as selected by

One more step!

Error!

Trending

Recent Stories

About the Author

Andrei Lankov

Start your day with
the North Korea stories that matter most –