2005 Pyonghwa Motors Hwiparam from North Korea - All Comments

No mechanical problems have occured.

Failed illumination from the instrument panel. Problem was repaired by a mechanic. It was solely electrical.

This car is manufactured in North Korea.

It was a gift to my family from the State.

I did not know to drive until I was issued this vehicle. The license program took me some weeks to achieve. The vehicle is built in a very modern process by the factory, so the construction is quite good.

Not much gasoline used, but gasoline is very expensive and it's difficult to get rations, so the vehicle does not get as much use as it could.

I have applied for permission to take the vehicle on vacation outside of Pyongyang with my family.

Wow this is something. Just reading this review because you are from North Korea. I never hear anything about that place except in the paper.

Great to see a comment from North Korea.

The described car is a Fiat Serena built under license in several countries including North Korea. The car was a gift from the State. How difficult is it for the average NK citizen to buy a car?

Interesting post. I`d like to know how this person has access to the internet in such a totalitarian state.

P.S. for some interesting photos of NK, go here:

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=82755.

Great web site! From the pictures they show, it appears that the author of this review is one of the few to even own a car there, the roads in the cities are practically deserted. Definitely not a place I would want to live.

Nice post. In regards to previous comments. It is true, North Korea is an oppressive state, but perhaps before branding it as entirely totalitarian, you should ignore the American media and realise that the people are not entirely starved of every 21st century technology. In 2001 the Democratic People's Republic of Korea joined Intelsat (the International Telecommunications Satellite Program) and the state run Chosun Korea IT firm came to an agreement with a South Korean firm to establish Internet access in various places around the country, albeit under a great level of censorship. Citizens can easily access the Internet at the Grand People's Study House (one of the biggest library's in Asia) located in central Pyongyang. And although private ownership of motor vehicles is still rare, due to cost, it is not out of the ordinary. However it should also be noted that the rather good living conditions of those within Pyongyang are not representative of the rural population outside of the city. Perhaps the DPRK is not as backward as Westerners perceive it to be? And yes, I have been to the country.

E.V.T - Australia.

Apparently, the Hwiparam is a Fiat Siena/Palio underneath. The car isn't too bad, and it's good to see some progress like this in North Korea.

I wonder how one goes about getting petrol for it.

I had never heard of this make before so had a look. It seems like a dream in North Korea as all the roads are empty of traffic. I am hapy you have had no problems with the car apart from the light in the dashboard. And to be given a car by the government seems like a wonderful idea to me how long will it take for my government in Britian to catch up with this wonderful idea I wonder?

I am the initial reviewer. Just an update. The car has still been going well, even though sometimes it has not driven for weeks due to no fuel. No more problems with illumination.

To respond to some comments: The roads in North Korea are not all empty! Pyongyang has many vehicles, many people have no requirement for a vehicle because of the many other forms of transport. This is a common car in Pyongyang, but most cars are secondhand from Japan or maybe China. Thank you to most comments.

YEs.. North korea doesn't allow anyone to get on the internet.

Much less make comments such as those.

To the person wrote that they think it would be great to have the government giving cars out to people, I sincerely hope you are joking!!

Hi friends

I just booked a trip to North Korea in the spring of 2007 and surfing the net for information.

I found this promotion movie of the North Korean produced Fiat.

http://www.korea-dpr.com/bus1.htm

Here is some info. on the joint venture from L.A.Times in the USA.

http://www.rickross.com/reference/unif/unif155.html

Regards.

Hubbe in Sweden.

Due to the fact that the internet is illeagel in NK, probably the only people with access to the internet are in close relations to Kim Jong Il or high up in the military...Also, the fact that one person has a car says nothing of NK's economy. In fact, 80% of all factories in NK are dismantled and out of commission so people could sell the parts on the black market for food. And besides, most factories either make weapons or opium. Pyongyang is just a big set for one big show. All of the nations resources go to maintaining the facade that is Pyonyang. Nevermind the millions of malnutritioned children and some 200,000 concentration camps. A rebadged Fiat only shows the desparity in NK's effort to mask the horrors and utter dissarray of the economy and government system and its isolated social elite.

Your conclusions about the situation in the DPRK are wrong and are not based on any proven fact. Also the assumption that north korean industry is solely devoted to weapons manufacturing is not true, most of this technology is purchased directly from the chinese or russians, however it is true that north korea manufactures capable missile systems, and until recently experimented with nuclear arms (only to serve as a deterrent to hostile American policy). I might also make the point that there is no opium trade in the DPRK whatsoever.

Finally, I would like to say that I am fully aware of the dire situation in the country, however I'm also aware that general public understanding of the regime is wrong and over blown, mostly due to an exaggerated (American) media.

I'm surprised Fiat is even allowed to engage in joint venture business with North Korea and its Pyongwha motors, considering the country is under economic sanctions. Given that Fiat is partly supported by the Italian government obviously the US foreign policy towards North Korea does not mean much to the Italians. They should not be promoting economic prosperity in this crazy country. God bless America, where the motor car was born, and where we still lead the pack in the automotive field!

To the comment right before mine...

Automobiles may have originated in America, but we do not still lead the automotive field. Have you recently compared Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Pontiac, or GMC with Honda, Toyota, or Nissan? There is no comparison. Why do you think these cars maintain such high resale values? I would love to say that an American made car is best.. unfortunately it just isn't so.