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. 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. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © 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 Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

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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.

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

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