| Industry | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Seoul, South Korea |
| Key people | Park Sang-Kwon, CEO |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Owner(s) | Ryonbong Unification Church Pyeonghwa Motors |
| Website | Official Page |
Pyeonghwa Motors (Hangul : 평화자동차) (Hancha : 平和自動車), (a Korean language word for "peace", also spelled Pyonghwa) is one of only two car manufacturers and dealers in North Korean automotive industry. It is a joint-venture in Nampo between Pyonghwa Motors of Seoul (South Korea), a company owned by Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, and the North Korean Ryonbong General Corp. The joint venture produces small cars under licence from Fiat and Brilliance China Auto,[1], a pick-up truck and an SUV using complete knock down kits from Chinese manufacturer Dandong Shuguang, a Mercedes-Benz/SsangYong design luxury cars.
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.[2] 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.[3]
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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,[4] which appears to be a rebadged version of the South Korean SsangYong Chairman.[5][6] The Chairman bears a strong resemblance to Mercedes-Benz cars, which are favoured by North Korean government officials, and is indeed based on an old Mercedes E-Class design.
In the same year, Pyeonghwa also reached an agreement with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance China Auto to assemble its Jinbei Haise vans, which are based on an old version of the Toyota Hiace.[7][8]
In 2007, Pyeonghwa introduced Brilliance's Junjie car under the name Hwiparam II. (The original Fiat-based Hwiparam still appears on Pyeonghwa's website.)[9]
In 2009, Pyeonghwa announced a profit on its North Korean operations.[10]
The Premio and Pronto are also sold in Vietnam by Mekong Auto[11] (Mekong Auto has sold Fiat cars in Vietnam since 1995, and this relationship may have led to Pyeonghwa assembling Fiats in North Korea.)
Pyeonghwa is currently the only company in North Korea to advertise. A series of billboards and TV commercials have been made in an effort to show residents that their country is still able to produce products such as motor vehicles. The ads may be aimed primarily at expatriate businesspeople in Pyongyang, but Car and Driver magazine suggests that they are actually propaganda aimed at the local population, to make them believe that their country is economically successful.[12]
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