Pyeonghwa Motors (

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

: 평화자동차;

Hancha Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: 平和自動車 – a

Korean language Korean is the first language, native language for about 81 million people, mostly of Koreans, Korean descent. It is the national language of both South Korea and North Korea. In the south, the language is known as () and in the north, it is kn ...

word for "

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

"), also spelled Pyonghwa, is one of the two car manufacturers and dealers in the North Korean automotive industry, alongside

Sungri Motor Plant Sungri Motor Plant, sometimes known as Sungri Motor Complex / Sungri General Motor Enterprise, is a 600,000 m2 vehicle factory in the city of Tokchon (덕천), North Korea. It was the most capable plant of the Automotive industry in North Ko ...

. Until 2013, it was a joint venture in

Nampo Nampo (North Korean official spelling: Nampho; ), also spelled Namp'o, is a major city in North Korea which is the country's List of cities in North Korea, fourth-largest by population. The city is an important seaport in the country as it lies ...

between Pyonghwa Motors of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

(

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

), a company owned by

Sun Myung Moon Sun Myung Moon (; born Moon Yong-myeong; 6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the ...

Unification Church The Unification Church () is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists or sometimes informally Moonies. It was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon in Seoul, South Korea, as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unificatio ...

, and the

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n Ryonbong General Corp. The joint venture produced small cars under licence from

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

and

Brilliance China Auto Huachen Automotive Group Holdings Co. Ltd., known by its brand name Brilliance Auto Group, is a Chinese multinational automobile manufacturer holding company headquartered in Shenyang. Its products include automobiles, microvans, and automotive c ...

, a

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

and an

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definition ...

using

complete knock down A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, and then exported to another country or r ...

kits from Chinese manufacturer Dandong Shuguang, and a luxury car of SsangYong design. From 2013, the company has been fully owned by the North Korean state. Erik van Ingen Schenau, author of the book ''Automobiles Made in North Korea'', has estimated the company's total production in 2005 at not more than around 400 units.

History

Pyeonghwa Motors was officially founded by the

. The venture came during the period of the

Sunshine Policy The Reconciliation and Cooperation Policy Towards the North (), colloquially referred to as Sunshine Policy () is one of the approaches for South Korea's foreign policy towards North Korea, lasting from 1998 to 2008 and again from 2017 to 2020. ...

between North and South Korea, when sanctions on the country were not as tough. The venture was announced in 2000. In 2002, around $55 million was set aside to build the factory, with which the first production line in Nampo was completed and the first Hwiparam was produced. The Premio and Pronto were later introduced in 2004. In 2009, PM earned about $700,000 from the sale of 650 cars, with $500,000 remitted to South Korea. Park Sang-Kwon, Pyeonghwa Motors president, started talks to end investment in 2012. The Unification Church officially transferred all investment to Pyongyang in 2013.

Production

Pyeonghwa has the exclusive rights to car production, purchase, and sale of used cars in North Korea. However, most North Koreans are unable to afford a car. Because of the very small market for cars in the country, Pyeonghwa's output is reportedly very low: in 2003, only 314 cars were produced even though the factory had the facilities to produce up to 10,000 cars a year.

Model list

* ''Hwiparam'' I, 2000, based on the

Fiat Siena The Fiat Siena is a subcompact car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1996 to 2022. It is the four-door sedan version of the Fiat Palio, a supermini car especially designed for developing countries. It was introduced for the first ...

. * ''Hwiparam'' II, 2007, based on the Brilliance Junjie/BS4/M2. * ''Hwiparam'' III, 2010, based on the Brilliance FSV. * ''Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi)'' 1, 2003, based on the

Fiat Doblò The Fiat Doblò is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle produced by Italian automaker Fiat since 2000. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 2000. A second-generation Doblò succeeded the original vehicle in 2010 for most markets ...

. Known to keep the Fiat vehicle badge. * ''Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi)'' 2, 2004, based on the Shuguang SUV 4x2. * ''Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi)'' 3, 2004, based on the Shuguang Huanghai. * ''Bbeokgugi (Peokkugi)'' 4, 2005, based on the Shuguang Dawn. * ''Junma''(Zunma), 2005, based on the

SsangYong Chairman The SsangYong Chairman (Korean: 쌍용 체어맨) is a full-size luxury car that was manufactured by South Korean automaker SsangYong from 1997 to 2017. The original model was renamed Chairman H in 2008, with a new model introduced in the same ...

. * ''Junma'' (Zunma 1606), 2013, based on the FAW- Volkswagen Sagitar. * ''Junma'' (Zunma 2008), 2013, based on the FAW- Volkswagen Magotan * ''Samcheonri'', 2005, based on the

Jinbei Haise The Jinbei Haise (金杯海狮) is a 4-door mid-size van produced by Chinese automaker Jinbei since 1991. The Jinbei Haise started out as a licensed rebadged Toyota HiAce The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced b ...

Further models and partnerships

In summer 2006, the North Korean government magazine ''Foreign Trade'', which advertises North Korean products, published a photograph of a new luxury car produced by Pyeonghwa, the Junma, which appears to be a rebadged version of the South Korean

. The Junma bears a strong resemblance to SsangYong cars, specifically the

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

, which are favored by North Korean government officials. The Chairman is based on an old Mercedes E-Class design. In 2006, Pyeonghwa reached an agreement with Chinese manufacturer

to assemble its Jinbei Haise vans, which are based on an old version of the

Toyota HiAce The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/M ...

. In 2007, Pyeonghwa introduced Brilliance's Junjie car under the name Hwiparam II. The original Fiat-based Hwiparam has appeared on Pyeonghwa's web site. In 2009, Pyeonghwa announced a profit on its North Korean operations. The Premio and Pronto are also sold in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Mekong Auto Mekong Auto Corporation, headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is a car manufacturer and assembler founded on June 22, 1991. The company works with Fiat, Fiat S.p.A., Pyeonghwa Motors and SsangYong Motor Company, SsangYong. MA's shareholde ...

. Both are based on Huanghai vehicles. Mekong Auto has sold Fiat cars in Vietnam since 1995, and this relationship may have led to Pyeonghwa assembling Fiats in North Korea.

Advertising

Pyeonghwa is currently the only company in

to advertise. A series of

billboards A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large out-of-home advertising, outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboard ...

and

TV commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

have been made in an effort to show residents that their country is able to produce products such as motor vehicles. The ads may be aimed primarily at expatriate businessmen in Pyongyang, but ''

Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published in 1955. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased it from its prior owner Hachette Fi ...

'' magazine suggests that they are actually propaganda aimed at the local population, to make them believe that their country is economically successful. File:Pyonghwa motors billboard.jpg, Pyonghwa Motors billboard showing the

Hwiparam The Fiat Siena is a subcompact car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1996 to 2022. It is the four-door Sedan (automobile), sedan version of the Fiat Palio, a supermini car especially designed for developing countries. It was introdu ...

. File:Pyonghwa Pyongyang.JPG, An advertising board of "Pyeonghwa Motors" in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

References

External links

*
Pyongwha brochure
(

PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

) on the

Korean Friendship Association The Korean Friendship Association (KFA, ; ) is a Spain-based friendship association with North Korea. The KFA was established in November 2000. It operates in 120 countries and has an Official Delegate in 34 countries. Its president, Spanish cit ...

website
Photos of North Korean vehicles
including Pyeonghwa models, compiled by the author of '' Automobiles Made in North Korea''
Pyeonghwa Motors video advertisement
* Location of Pyeonghwa motors plant in Nampo: {{DEFAULTSORT:Pyeonghwa Motors Nampo Unification Church affiliated organizations Unification Church controversies Car manufacturers of North Korea Manufacturing companies based in Seoul Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1999 North Korea–South Korea relations Government-owned companies of North Korea 1999 establishments in North Korea