Like many of the barometers of North Korea’s modernity, accurately gauging energy and fuel consumption in the DPRK is no easy task. The relevant ministries release no data on North Korea’s imports, exports, use of petroleum, diesel and industry fuels, and (western) car manufactures are left scratching their heads when asked how their vehicles have been snapped by a Pyongyang tourist.

Nor are any hulking trucks bearing common industry logos seen on the DPRK’s crumbling roads, yet traffic in the North Korean capital is reportedly on the rise, and DPRK’s military vehicles continue to run.