Recently, it has been reported that drivers in Hoeryeong City are heading to Chongjin City to purchase tires. It costs a lot of money to buy a pair of tires, but it is said that people are actively purchasing tires even by borrowing money to make a living.
A source from North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on the 7th, “As the rumor that diamonds (tires) entered Chongjin City through Rason Customs (Najin/Sonbong Customs) spread among drivers in Hoeryeong City, they are going all the way to Chongjin to buy tires.”
According to sources, a trading company in Chongjin City recently imported tires for ‘Dong Bang-ho’ and ‘Dong Feng-ho’, known as Chinese trucks, and are currently being traded at 4,000 yuan per pair.
With the North Korean won-yuan exchange rate soaring to 3,000-3,200 won, 4,000 yuan, when converted to North Korean money, is a high amount of 12 million won. The source explains that originally, you could buy it with about 5 to 7 million won in North Korean currency, but as the exchange rate has doubled, you now have to pay 12 million won in North Korean money to buy it.
Although the burden of purchasing tires is high, drivers who need tires are said to be trying to secure tires even by borrowing money, saying, “But I have to buy them now.”
It is known that in North Korea, where private property is not recognized, if an individual wants to make money with a car, he or she must register the car with an organization such as a factory or enterprise and pay 3,000 to 5,000 yuan per month.
From the perspective of a car driver, he is in a situation where he has to spend as much money as he would give to the agency in the form of vehicle registration fees to purchase a pair of tires.
However, since driving a car for a living is the only way to make a living, drivers are using any means possible to spend a large amount of money on tires.
The source said, “People who drive cars can only earn income by driving the car, so if they don’t buy diamonds, no matter how expensive they are, their livelihood will be greatly affected.” He added, “Especially in Hoeryong, it snows a lot in winter and the roads are in bad condition. “If the tires are poor, the risk of an accident increases, so drivers have to buy tires and replace them despite the high price,” he said.
On the other hand, there are drivers who buy tires with a smile in this situation, and they are truck drivers who work for organizations. Since they operate their vehicles with institutional funds, they do not need to purchase tires out of their own pocket, the source said.
A source said, “When factory drivers demand from factory executives that diamonds must be changed at all costs, they are given the money needed to purchase them,” adding, “Therefore, compared to drivers of personal vehicles who purchase diamonds with their own money, the burden is relatively high.” “It’s less,” he said.
However, the source said, “That doesn’t mean they (drivers belonging to the agency) don’t fill their own pockets,” adding, “They pay bribes to factory executives and use factory vehicles to make a living so they can survive.”
Source: www.dailynk.com
