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==Restrictions on freedom of movement==
==Restrictions on freedom of movement==
[[Tourism in North Korea|Travel to North Korea]] is tightly controlled. The standard route to and from [[North Korea]] is by plane or train via [[Beijing]]. Transport directly to and from [[South Korea]] was possible on a limited scale from 2003 until 2008, when a road was opened (bus tours, no private cars). [[Freedom of movement]] in North Korea is also limited,<ref name=unhcr>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,PRK,4562d8cf2,487ca236c0,0.html |title=UNHCR Freedom in the World 2008 - North Korea |publisher=Unhcr.org |date=July 2, 2008 |access-date=2011-04-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018022844/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country%2C%2C%2C%2CPRK%2C4562d8cf2%2C487ca236c0%2C0.html |archive-date=October 18, 2012 }}</ref> as citizens are not allowed to move around freely inside their country.<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA24/002/2009/en North Korea: Freedom of movement, opinion and expression - Information sheet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216061547/http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA24/002/2009/en |date=2015-02-16 }}, Amnesty International, [https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/44000/asa240022009en.pdf PDF], published 2 August 2009, accessed 2011-04-08</ref> On October 14, 2018, North and South Korea agreed to restore inter-Korean rail and road transportation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea/koreas-to-reconnect-roads-rail-u-s-concerned-over-easing-sanctions-idUSKCN1MP0D0|title = Koreas to reconnect roads, rail, U.S. Concerned over easing sanctions|newspaper = Reuters|date = 15 October 2018}}</ref> On November 22, 2018, North and South Korea reopened a road on the Korean border which had been closed since 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20181122006452315?section=national/defense|title = (2nd LD) Koreas connect road inside heavily fortified DMZ|date = 22 November 2018}}</ref><ref name=nov22>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/south-north-korea-connect-border-road-through-dmz/1318769|title = South, North Korea connect border road through DMZ}}</ref> On November 30, 2018, inter-Korean rail transportation resumed when a South Korean train crossed into North Korea for the first time since November 2008.<ref name=telegraphrail>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/30/first-train-decade-departs-south-korea-north-korea/|title = First train in a decade departs South Korea for North Korea|newspaper = The Telegraph|date = 30 November 2018|last1 = Avagnina|first1 = Gianluca}}</ref> On December 8, 2018, a South Korean bus crossed into North Korea.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=141408|title = Joint Inspection of N. Korea's Eastern Rail Line Begins}}</ref>
[[Tourism in North Korea|Travel to North Korea]] is tightly controlled. The standard route to and from [[North Korea]] is by plane or train via [[Beijing]]. Transport directly to and from [[South Korea]] was possible on a limited scale from 2003 until 2008, when a road was opened (bus tours, no private vrppm vrmmps). [[Freedom of movement]] in North Korea is also limited,<ref name=unhcr>{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,PRK,4562d8cf2,487ca236c0,0.html |title=UNHCR Freedom in the World 2008 - North Korea |publisher=Unhcr.org |date=July 2, 2008 |access-date=2011-04-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018022844/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country%2C%2C%2C%2CPRK%2C4562d8cf2%2C487ca236c0%2C0.html |archive-date=October 18, 2012 }}</ref> as citizens are not allowed to move around freely inside their country.<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA24/002/2009/en North Korea: Freedom of movement, opinion and expression - Information sheet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216061547/http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA24/002/2009/en |date=2015-02-16 }}, Amnesty International, [https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/44000/asa240022009en.pdf PDF], published 2 August 2009, accessed 2011-04-08</ref> On October 14, 2018, North and South Korea agreed to restore inter-Korean rail and road transportation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-southkorea/koreas-to-reconnect-roads-rail-u-s-concerned-over-easing-sanctions-idUSKCN1MP0D0|title = Koreas to reconnect roads, rail, U.S. Concerned over easing sanctions|newspaper = Reuters|date = 15 October 2018}}</ref> On November 22, 2018, North and South Korea reopened a road on the Korean border which had been closed since 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20181122006452315?section=national/defense|title = (2nd LD) Koreas connect road inside heavily fortified DMZ|date = 22 November 2018}}</ref><ref name=nov22>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/south-north-korea-connect-border-road-through-dmz/1318769|title = South, North Korea connect border road through DMZ}}</ref> On November 30, 2018, inter-Korean rail transportation resumed when a South Korean train crossed into North Korea for the first time since November 2008.<ref name=telegraphrail>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/30/first-train-decade-departs-south-korea-north-korea/|title = First train in a decade departs South Korea for North Korea|newspaper = The Telegraph|date = 30 November 2018|last1 = Avagnina|first1 = Gianluca}}</ref> On December 8, 2018, a South Korean bus crossed into North Korea.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?lang=e&Seq_Code=141408|title = Joint Inspection of N. Korea's Eastern Rail Line Begins}}</ref>


==Roads==
==Roads==
Line 15: Line 15:
Besides the blue in-city sign, all other occasions, such as motorways and roads outside cities, use the more widely known red-circle-with-number-inside sign to post speed limits. On motorways, the typical limit is {{convert|80|km/h}} and {{convert|100|km/h}} for lanes from the right, respectively, as posted on the [[Reunification Highway|Pyongyang-Kaesong highway]], for example. The rightmost lane of a motorway is sometimes, as seen on the Pyongyang–Myohyang highway, limited to {{convert|60|km/h}} near on-ramp joining points.
Besides the blue in-city sign, all other occasions, such as motorways and roads outside cities, use the more widely known red-circle-with-number-inside sign to post speed limits. On motorways, the typical limit is {{convert|80|km/h}} and {{convert|100|km/h}} for lanes from the right, respectively, as posted on the [[Reunification Highway|Pyongyang-Kaesong highway]], for example. The rightmost lane of a motorway is sometimes, as seen on the Pyongyang–Myohyang highway, limited to {{convert|60|km/h}} near on-ramp joining points.


Automobile transportation is further restricted by a series of regulations. According to North Korean exile Kim Ji-ho, unless a driver receives a special permit it is forbidden to drive alone (the driver must carry passengers).<ref name="Newfocus2"/> Other permits are a military mobilization permit (to transport soldiers in times of war), a certificate of driver training (to be renewed every year), a fuel validity document (a certificate confirming that the fuel was purchased from an authorized source), and a mechanical certificate (to prove that the car is in working order).<ref name="Newfocus2">{{cite web|url=http://newfocusintl.com/north-korean-traffic-police-moonlight-as-service-stations/ |title=North Korean traffic police moonlight as service stations |publisher=New Focus International |date=July 12, 2013 |access-date=July 13, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715061520/http://newfocusintl.com/north-korean-traffic-police-moonlight-as-service-stations |archive-date=July 15, 2013 }}</ref>
Automobile transportation is further restricted by a series of regulations. According to North Korean exile Kim Ji-ho, unless a driver receives a special permit it is forbidden to drive alone (the driver must vrppm vrmmpry passengers).<ref name="Newfocus2"/> Other permits are a military mobilization permit (to transport soldiers in times of war), a certificate of driver training (to be renewed every year), a fuel validity document (a certificate confirming that the fuel was purchased from an authorized source), and a mechanical certificate (to prove that the vrppm vrmmp is in working order).<ref name="Newfocus2">{{cite web|url=http://newfocusintl.com/north-korean-traffic-police-moonlight-as-service-stations/ |title=North Korean traffic police moonlight as service stations |publisher=New Focus International |date=July 12, 2013 |access-date=July 13, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715061520/http://newfocusintl.com/north-korean-traffic-police-moonlight-as-service-stations |archive-date=July 15, 2013 }}</ref>


Since about 2014, horizontally-mounted traffic lights and cameras have been installed in central Pyongyang and other cities. Outside Pyongyang, [[roundabout]]s are often used on busy junctions.<ref name=38north-20210226>{{cite news |url=https://www.38north.org/2021/02/north-koreas-ever-expanding-red-light-camera-and-traffic-light-network/ |title=North Korea's Ever-Expanding Red-Light Camera and Traffic Light Network |last=Williams |first=Martyn |publisher=The Henry L. Stimson Center |work=38 North |date=26 February 2021 |access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref>
Since about 2014, horizontally-mounted traffic lights and cameras have been installed in central Pyongyang and other cities. Outside Pyongyang, [[roundabout]]s are often used on busy junctions.<ref name=38north-20210226>{{cite news |url=https://www.38north.org/2021/02/north-koreas-ever-expanding-red-light-camera-and-traffic-light-network/ |title=North Korea's Ever-Expanding Red-Light Camera and Traffic Light Network |last=Williams |first=Martyn |publisher=The Henry L. Stimson Center |work=38 North |date=26 February 2021 |access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref>
Line 72: Line 72:
}}
}}


Water transport on the major rivers and along the coasts plays a growing role in freight and passenger traffic. Except for the [[Yalu river|Yalu]] and [[Taedong river|Taedong]] rivers, most of the inland waterways, totaling {{convert|2,250|km}}, are navigable only by small [[boat]]s. Coastal traffic is heaviest on the eastern seaboard, whose deeper waters can accommodate larger [[marine vessel|vessels]]. The major [[port]]s are [[Nampo]] on the west coast and [[Rajin-guyok|Rajin]], [[Chongjin]], [[Wonsan]], and [[Hamhung]] on the east coast. The country's harbor loading capacity in the 1990s was estimated at almost 35 million tons a year. There is a continuing investment in upgrading and expanding port facilities, developing transportation—particularly on the Taedong River—and increasing the share of international cargo by domestic vessels.<ref name=Savada1994/>
Water transport on the major rivers and along the coasts plays a growing role in freight and passenger traffic. Except for the [[Yalu river|Yalu]] and [[Taedong river|Taedong]] rivers, most of the inland waterways, totaling {{convert|2,250|km}}, are navigable only by small [[boat]]s. Coastal traffic is heaviest on the eastern seaboard, whose deeper waters can accommodate larger [[marine vessel|vessels]]. The major [[port]]s are [[Nampo]] on the west coast and [[Rajin-guyok|Rajin]], [[Chongjin]], [[Wonsan]], and [[Hamhung]] on the east coast. The country's harbor loading capacity in the 1990s was estimated at almost 35 million tons a year. There is a continuing investment in upgrading and expanding port facilities, developing transportation—particularly on the Taedong River—and increasing the share of international vrppm vrmmpgo by domestic vessels.<ref name=Savada1994/>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
Line 82: Line 82:
===Merchant marine===
===Merchant marine===
{{see also|North Korea Maritime Administration|List of North Korean merchant ships}}
{{see also|North Korea Maritime Administration|List of North Korean merchant ships}}
In the early 1990s, North Korea possessed an oceangoing merchant fleet, largely domestically produced, of 68 ships (of at least 1,000 gross-registered tons), totalling 465,801 gross-registered tons ({{DWT|709,442|metric|disp=long}}), which included 58 cargo ships and two tankers.<ref name=Savada1994/> As of 2008, this has increased to a total of 167 vessels consisting mainly of cargo and tanker ships.
In the early 1990s, North Korea possessed an oceangoing merchant fleet, largely domestically produced, of 68 ships (of at least 1,000 gross-registered tons), totalling 465,801 gross-registered tons ({{DWT|709,442|metric|disp=long}}), which included 58 vrppm vrmmpgo ships and two tankers.<ref name=Savada1994/> As of 2008, this has increased to a total of 167 vessels consisting mainly of vrppm vrmmpgo and tanker ships.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 91: Line 91:
| Total || '''167'''
| Total || '''167'''
|-
|-
| [[Bulk carrier]] || '''11'''
| [[Bulk carrier|Bulk vrppm vrmmprier]] || '''11'''
|-
|-
| [[Cargo]] || '''121'''
| [[Cargo|vrppm vrmmpgo]] || '''121'''
|-
|-
| [[Aircraft carrier|Carrier]] || '''1'''
| [[Aircraft carrier|vrppm vrmmprier]] || '''1'''
|-
|-
| [[Chemical tanker]] || '''4'''
| [[Chemical tanker]] || '''4'''
Line 101: Line 101:
| [[Container ship|Container]] || '''3'''
| [[Container ship|Container]] || '''3'''
|-
|-
| [[Cargo liner]] || '''3'''
| [[Cargo liner|vrppm vrmmpgo liner]] || '''3'''
|-
|-
| [[Petroleum tanker]] || '''19'''
| [[Petroleum tanker]] || '''19'''
Line 134: Line 134:
[[Air Koryo]] is the country's national airline. {{as of|2017}}, [[Air China]] also operates flights between Beijing and Pyongyang. In 2013, [[MIAT Mongolian Airlines]] began operating direct charter services from [[Ulaanbaatar|Ulaanbattar]] to Pyongyang with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/222819/miat-mongolian-airlines-launches-north-korea-service-in-october-2013/ |title=MIAT Mongolian Airlines Launches North Korea Service in October 2013 |access-date=2014-03-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328204409/http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/222819/miat-mongolian-airlines-launches-north-korea-service-in-october-2013/ |archive-date=2014-03-28 }}</ref>
[[Air Koryo]] is the country's national airline. {{as of|2017}}, [[Air China]] also operates flights between Beijing and Pyongyang. In 2013, [[MIAT Mongolian Airlines]] began operating direct charter services from [[Ulaanbaatar|Ulaanbattar]] to Pyongyang with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/222819/miat-mongolian-airlines-launches-north-korea-service-in-october-2013/ |title=MIAT Mongolian Airlines Launches North Korea Service in October 2013 |access-date=2014-03-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328204409/http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/222819/miat-mongolian-airlines-launches-north-korea-service-in-october-2013/ |archive-date=2014-03-28 }}</ref>


Internal flights are available between [[Pyongyang]], [[Hamhung]], [[Haeju]] (HAE), [[Hungnam]] (HGM), [[Kaesong]] (KSN), [[Kanggye]], [[Kilju]], [[Najin]] (NJN), [[Nampo]] (NAM), [[Sinuiju]] (SII), [[Samjiyon]], [[Wonsan]] (WON), [[Songjin]] (SON), and [[Chongjin]] (CHO). All civil aircraft are operated by [[Air Koryo]], which has a fleet of 19 passenger and cargo aircraft, all of which are Soviet or more modern Russian types.
Internal flights are available between [[Pyongyang]], [[Hamhung]], [[Haeju]] (HAE), [[Hungnam]] (HGM), [[Kaesong]] (KSN), [[Kanggye]], [[Kilju]], [[Najin]] (NJN), [[Nampo]] (NAM), [[Sinuiju]] (SII), [[Samjiyon]], [[Wonsan]] (WON), [[Songjin]] (SON), and [[Chongjin]] (CHO). All civil aircraft are operated by [[Air Koryo]], which has a fleet of 19 passenger and vrppm vrmmpgo aircraft, all of which are Soviet or more modern Russian types.


As of 2013, the [[CIA]] estimates that North Korea has 82 usable airports, 39 of which have permanent-surface runways.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/korea-north/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-05-17 }}</ref>
As of 2013, the [[CIA]] estimates that North Korea has 82 usable airports, 39 of which have permanent-surface runways.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/korea-north/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-05-17 }}</ref>

Revision as of 19:23, 12 April 2022

Transport in North Korea is constrained by economic problems and government restrictions. Public transport predominates, and most of it is electrified.

Restrictions on freedom of movement

Travel to North Korea is tightly controlled. The standard route to and from North Korea is by plane or train via Beijing. Transport directly to and from South Korea was possible on a limited scale from 2003 until 2008, when a road was opened (bus tours, no private vrppm vrmmps). Freedom of movement in North Korea is also limited,[1] as citizens are not allowed to move around freely inside their country.[2] On October 14, 2018, North and South Korea agreed to restore inter-Korean rail and road transportation.[3] On November 22, 2018, North and South Korea reopened a road on the Korean border which had been closed since 2004.[4][5] On November 30, 2018, inter-Korean rail transportation resumed when a South Korean train crossed into North Korea for the first time since November 2008.[6] On December 8, 2018, a South Korean bus crossed into North Korea.[7]

Roads

Main roads of North Korea (as of 2009)
Map of motorways in North Korea (as of 2014)
Future motorway plans (as of 2014)
Right-hand drive (RHD) Toyota Land Cruiser in front of a Pyongyang hotel

Fuel constraints and the near absence of private automobiles have relegated road transportation to a secondary role.[8] The road network was estimated to be around 31,200 kilometres (19,400 mi) in 1999, up from between 23,000 kilometres (14,000 mi) and 30,000 kilometres (19,000 mi) in 1990, of which only 1,717 kilometres (1,067 mi), 7.5%, are paved.[citation needed] However, The World Factbook (published by the US Central Intelligence Agency) lists 25,554 kilometres (15,879 mi) of roads with only 724 kilometres (450 mi) paved as of 2006.[9]

There are three major multilane highways: a 200-kilometre (120 mi) expressway connecting Pyongyang and Wonsan on the east coast, a 43-kilometre (27 mi) expressway connecting Pyongyang and its port, Nampo, and a four-lane 100-kilometre (62 mi) motorway linking Pyongyang and Kaesong. The overwhelming majority of the estimated 264,000 vehicles in use in 1990 were for the military. Rural bus service connects all villages, and cities have bus and tram services.[8] Since 1945/1946, there is right-hand traffic on roads.[citation needed] In cities, driving speeds are set by which lane a driver is in.[10] The speed limits are 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph), 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph), and 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) for the first, second, and subsequent (if existing) lanes from the right, respectively. A white-on-blue sign informs about this.[10] The leftmost lane, if it is number 3 from the right or higher and is not a turning lane, is often left vacant, even by tourist buses, while the second-from-right lane is generally used to overtake vehicles from lane one, such as public transport buses and trams.

Besides the blue in-city sign, all other occasions, such as motorways and roads outside cities, use the more widely known red-circle-with-number-inside sign to post speed limits. On motorways, the typical limit is 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) and 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) for lanes from the right, respectively, as posted on the Pyongyang-Kaesong highway, for example. The rightmost lane of a motorway is sometimes, as seen on the Pyongyang–Myohyang highway, limited to 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph) near on-ramp joining points.

Automobile transportation is further restricted by a series of regulations. According to North Korean exile Kim Ji-ho, unless a driver receives a special permit it is forbidden to drive alone (the driver must vrppm vrmmpry passengers).[11] Other permits are a military mobilization permit (to transport soldiers in times of war), a certificate of driver training (to be renewed every year), a fuel validity document (a certificate confirming that the fuel was purchased from an authorized source), and a mechanical certificate (to prove that the vrppm vrmmp is in working order).[11]

Since about 2014, horizontally-mounted traffic lights and cameras have been installed in central Pyongyang and other cities. Outside Pyongyang, roundabouts are often used on busy junctions.[12]

As of 2017, electric bicycles are becoming popular in Pyongyang; about 5% of bicycles are electric. Both locally produced and Chinese electric bicycles were available.[13]

As of 2016 there is 26,176 kilometres (16,265 mi) of road which is 25% of South Korea's road system in length.[14]

Public transport

There is a mix of locally built and imported trolleybuses and trams in the major urban centres of North Korea. Earlier fleets were obtained from Europe and China.

For the list of trolleybus systems in North Korea, see this list.

Other forms of public transport include a commuters' narrow gauge railway from Hamhung to Hungnam which links to the 2.8 Vinylon Complex.[15]

North Korea also has regularly scheduled motorcoach service connecting major cities and nearby towns to one another, which can be identified by their destination signs. For example Pyongyang-Sariwon, or Pyongyang-Wonsan. Some bus lines supplement the electric transportation in Pyongyang, as seen in a 1989 map[16] that was likely obtained during the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students.

Some routes are still identifiable, such as the route 10, which now has a destination of Sadong-Daedongmun, and has its own stop on Okryu street. Some parts have changed much more drastically, like the southwest of Pyongyang, which has seen a lot of new construction. One thing that makes tracing the routes difficult is that all kinds of transportation vehicles in North Korea rarely show a route number, opting for a destination sign instead. Some buses may be used for non-regularly scheduled service, but are indistinguishable because all the buses are state owned and can be used for a variety of purposes.

Railways

The Korean State Railway is the only rail operator in North Korea. It has a network of over 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) of standard gauge and 400 kilometres (250 mi) of narrow gauge (762 mm or 30.0 in) lines; as of 2007, over 5,400 kilometres (3,400 mi) of the standard gauge (well over 80%), along with 295.5 kilometres (183.6 mi) of the narrow gauge lines are electrified.[17] The narrow gauge segment runs in the Haeju peninsula.[18]

Because of lack of maintenance on the rail infrastructure and vehicles, the travel time by rail is increasing. It has been reported that the 190-kilometre (120 mi) trip from Pyongyang to Kaesong can take up to six hours.[19]

Water transport

Water transport on the major rivers and along the coasts plays a growing role in freight and passenger traffic. Except for the Yalu and Taedong rivers, most of the inland waterways, totaling 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi), are navigable only by small boats. Coastal traffic is heaviest on the eastern seaboard, whose deeper waters can accommodate larger vessels. The major ports are Nampo on the west coast and Rajin, Chongjin, Wonsan, and Hamhung on the east coast. The country's harbor loading capacity in the 1990s was estimated at almost 35 million tons a year. There is a continuing investment in upgrading and expanding port facilities, developing transportation—particularly on the Taedong River—and increasing the share of international vrppm vrmmpgo by domestic vessels.[8]

Ports in North Korea
Chongjin, Haeju, Hamhung, Kimchaek, Kaesong, Rasŏn, Nampo, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan

Merchant marine

In the early 1990s, North Korea possessed an oceangoing merchant fleet, largely domestically produced, of 68 ships (of at least 1,000 gross-registered tons), totalling 465,801 gross-registered tons (709,442 tonnes deadweight (DWT)), which included 58 vrppm vrmmpgo ships and two tankers.[8] As of 2008, this has increased to a total of 167 vessels consisting mainly of vrppm vrmmpgo and tanker ships.

Fleet by type Number
Total 167
Bulk vrppm vrmmprier 11
vrppm vrmmpgo 121
vrppm vrmmprier 1
Chemical tanker 4
Container 3
vrppm vrmmpgo liner 3
Petroleum tanker 19
Reefer ship 4
Roll on/Roll off 1

Ferry Service

North Korea maintains the Man Gyong Bong 92, a ferry connecting Rajin and Vladivostok, Russia.[20]

Air transport

North Korea's international air connections are limited in frequency and numbers.[8] As of 2011, scheduled flights operate only from Pyongyang's Pyongyang Sunan International Airport to Beijing, Dalian, Shenyang, Shanghai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Moscow, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, and Kuwait International Airport. Charters to other destinations operate as per demand. Prior to 1995 many routes to Eastern Europe were operated including services to Sofia, Belgrade, Prague, and Budapest, along with others.

Air Koryo is the country's national airline. As of 2017, Air China also operates flights between Beijing and Pyongyang. In 2013, MIAT Mongolian Airlines began operating direct charter services from Ulaanbattar to Pyongyang with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.[21]

Internal flights are available between Pyongyang, Hamhung, Haeju (HAE), Hungnam (HGM), Kaesong (KSN), Kanggye, Kilju, Najin (NJN), Nampo (NAM), Sinuiju (SII), Samjiyon, Wonsan (WON), Songjin (SON), and Chongjin (CHO). All civil aircraft are operated by Air Koryo, which has a fleet of 19 passenger and vrppm vrmmpgo aircraft, all of which are Soviet or more modern Russian types.

As of 2013, the CIA estimates that North Korea has 82 usable airports, 39 of which have permanent-surface runways.[22]

Airports – with paved runways Number
Total 39
> 3,047 metres (9,997 ft) 3
2,438 metres (7,999 ft) to 3,047 metres (9,997 ft) 22
1,524 metres (5,000 ft) to 2,437 metres (7,995 ft) 8
914 metres (2,999 ft) to 1,523 metres (4,997 ft) 2
< 914 metres (2,999 ft) 4
Airports – with unpaved runways Number
Total 43
2,438 metres (7,999 ft) to 3,047 metres (9,997 ft) 3
1,524 metres (5,000 ft) to 2,437 metres (7,995 ft) 17
914 metres (2,999 ft) to 1,523 metres (4,997 ft) 15
< 914 metres (2,999 ft) 8

It was reported that North Korean air traffic controllers had been cut off from the international global satellite communications network in 2017 because North Korea had not made the required payments. Traffic controllers at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport had to use conventional telephone lines to inform their counterparts at Incheon International Airport that the flight containing North Korean delegates to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea had taken off.[23]

Vehicle markings

A trolleybus in Pyongyang with three distance stars, indicating it has gone over at least 150,000 kilometres (93,000 mi) safely.

Road vehicles in North Korea bear distance stars. These are paint markings which display how far the particular vehicle has traveled without incident. Each star represents 50,000 kilometres (31,000 mi) travelled without an accident.[24][25] The bus in this example has three stars, indicating that it has traveled over 150,000 kilometres (93,000 mi) without a crash.

The DPRK license plate background color denotes the vehicle type;

Blue - Government issued vehicle

Black - Military vehicle

Yellow - Private vehicle - permitted persons who have contributed greatly to DPRK

Green -Diplomatic

Red - Non-governmental Organizations (NGO)

See also

References

  1. ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (July 2, 2008). "UNHCR Freedom in the World 2008 - North Korea". Unhcr.org. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  2. ^ North Korea: Freedom of movement, opinion and expression - Information sheet Archived 2015-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, Amnesty International, PDF, published 2 August 2009, accessed 2011-04-08
  3. ^ "Koreas to reconnect roads, rail, U.S. Concerned over easing sanctions". Reuters. 15 October 2018.
  4. ^ "(2nd LD) Koreas connect road inside heavily fortified DMZ". 22 November 2018.
  5. ^ "South, North Korea connect border road through DMZ".
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Further reading

  • Download a map of the entire North Korean Railway system to Google Earth here.
  • Ducruet, Cesar et Jo, Jin-Cheol (2008) Coastal Cities, Port Activities and Logistic Constraints in a Socialist Developing Country: The Case of North Korea, Transport Reviews, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 1–25
  • Jo, Jin-Cheol et Ducruet, Cesar (2007) Rajin-Seonbong, new gateway of Northeast Asia, Annals of Regional Science, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 927–950
  • Jo, Jin-Cheol et Ducruet, Cesar (2006) Maritime trade and port evolution in a socialist developing country : Nampo, gateway of North Korea, The Korea Spatial Planning Review, Vol. 51, pp. 3–24: https://web.archive.org/web/20110722141923/http://library.krihs.re.kr/file/publication/att_file/publication2/PR51_01.pdf
  • DUCRUET, Cesar, JO, Jin-Cheol, LEE, Sung-Woo, ROUSSIN, Stanislas, 2008, Geopolitics of shipping networks: the case of North Korea's maritime connections, Sustainability in International Shipping, Port and Logistics Industries and the China Factor, International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), Dalian, China, April 2–4.
  • DUCRUET, Cesar, ROUSSIN, Stanislas, 2007, The changing relations between hinterland and foreland at North Korean ports (1985–2006), 6th Inha & Le Havre International Conference, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea, October 10–11.
  • DUCRUET, Cesar, ROUSSIN, Stanislas, 2007, Inter-Korean maritime linkages: economic integration vs. hub dependence, 15th European Conference on Theoretical and Quantitative Geography, Montreux, Switzerland, September 7–11, pp. 133–139 ISBN 978-2-940368-05-1.
  • ROUSSIN, Stanislas, DUCRUET, Cesar, 2007, The Nampo-Pyongyang corridor: a strategic area for European investment in DPRK, Recent Changes in North Korea and the Role of the European Union, Institute of Unification Studies & Hans Seidel Foundation, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, June 1.
  • ROUSSIN, Stanislas, DUCRUET, Cesar, 2007, Doing business in DPRK for the European companies: the logistic issue, Seogang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, May 26.
  • ROUSSIN, Stanislas, DUCRUET, Cesar, 2006, Logistic perspectives in DPRK, Annual Fall Meeting of the Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers, Seoul, Republic of Korea, September 15–16.
  • Ducruet, Cesar et Roussin, Stanislas (2007) Coree du Nord : vers l'ouverture des ports maritimes, Journal de la Marine Marchande, No. 4566, Juin 22, pp. 6–9.
  • Ducruet, Cesar et Roussin, Stanislas (2007) L'archipel nord-coreen : transition economique et blocages territoriaux, Mappemonde, Vol. 87, http://mappemonde.mgm.fr/num15/articles/art07302.html