What is something women could never imagine in North Korea?
Image / Canva
I want to talk about a special kind of freedom, something truly unimaginable in North Korea. I’d like to talk about driving.
When I first arrived in South Korea, the very first thing that shocked me was the sheer number of passenger cars on the road. The moment I saw them, I thought,“ Wow, there are this many? How are they all lined up so neatly? Is this a movie set or what?”
Of course, there are cars in North Korea too, but you’ll never see anything like that. Generally, you’ll see buses, trucks, or taxis. Passenger cars are almost entirely reserved for people in high-ranking positions.
Most roads are unpaved. When it rains, they turn into mud. When it snows, they become natural skating rinks. The sight that stunned me in South Korea was something we could never even imagine in the North.
At first, I honestly thought to myself, “Are all these people cadres? Is everyone here a president or something?”
In the North, driving is strictly men’s work, a male privilege. Women cannot drive. They can’t ride motorcycles. Even bicycles require a license. The only exceptions are battery-powered bicycles (what South Koreans call e-bikes) or regular bicycles.
Even if you have money, you can’t own a car. All vehicles are state property. Even if you “buy” one, you must register it with the state, and afterward you’re required to pay monthly registration fees called “planned quotas.” If you can’t pay, your driving is restricted, and you can’t really use the car.
Driving is not something just any man can do. He has to attend a “driver training center,” complete months of education, and pass an exam.
The first license I obtained after coming to South Korea was a driver’s license. At the Hanawon resettlement support center, where defectors receive help adjusting, I took lessons and was able to take the test.
“Here, anyone can drive,” a teacher told us on my first day.
“Even women?” I asked.
“Of course. Anyone can.”
That shocked me. The idea of women driving was unimaginable. But now, I take my kids to school, commute to work, and even go grocery shopping. My daughter goes to school, my son to kindergarten. It feels like a dream come true. Isn’t this what freedom is?
North Korea always proclaims, “We are a nation of self-reliance. We never extend our hand to others and rise by ourselves.” And yet, they can’t even manufacture proper cars, let alone solve the reality of their people starving.
What does North Korea produce? As you all know—missiles, nuclear weapons. Yes, there are things like Seungri automobiles, Geumseong tractors, and Gaengsaeng passenger cars. Lately, state media brags about increased tank production too. But in the provinces, ordinary people rarely, if ever, see such vehicles.
So who are these vehicles really for? Tractors are distributed for collective farms, but passenger cars are never for ordinary people. Some cadres drive foreign cars.
Perhaps it’s intentional that people can’t own cars. Perhaps if ordinary people had them, they’d appear on the same level as Kim Jong-un. In the North, a car is a symbol of power, and if that symbol collapses, the whole hierarchy is shaken.
When black sedans pass by in North Korea, people step aside and react with awe. Why? Because those cars belong to the leader, the powerful, the State Security officials, or the cadres. The moment ordinary people get one, that entire order is threatened.
But now, I myself get behind the wheel and drive freely to wherever I want to go. This isn’t just driving. It’s freedom of choice, freedom of movement, and freedom of existence.
Kim Yumi, a North Korean defector, was born and raised in Haeju, South Hwanghae Province, a coastal military area. Growing up near a naval base, she was able to secretly watch South Korean news programs and TV shows, thereby uncovering the vibrant, democratic society of South Korea. Yumi and her husband made the brave decision to escape North Korea and seek a better future. Now in Seoul, she is actively involved in raising awareness about the realities of life in North Korea, especially on her YouTube channel, “@KimYumiTV.”
Latest posts by Kim Yumi (see all)
- What is something women could never imagine in North Korea? - September 18, 2025
- Kim Jong-un’s special train: bulletproof carriages and luxury facilities - September 14, 2025
- North Korea under lockdown: My COVID experience (Part 6) - August 29, 2025