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Charcoal-powered Vehicles Stage a Comeback in North Korea2016-12-09 A charcoal-powered truck belches smoke as it passes over a bridge near Hyangsan in North Pyongan province, North Korea, in a file photo.DPACharcoal-powered vehicles have reappeared in North Korea because most ordinary citizens cannot afford high oil prices, North Korean sources inside the country said.Although charcoal-powered vehicles are slower and more uncomfortable than those that run on gasoline or diesel, many people use them because they offer a less expensive source of transportation, the sources said.North Korean civilians and soldiers previously drove charcoal-powered trucks—which have not been used in the West since World War II—to deal with fuel shortages. The charcoal produces a flammable gas that powers the engine, causing vehicles to produce heaps of smoke.They fell out of use in the 1990s and early 2000s with the increased use of gasoline, but have made a comeback as an apparent result of restricted oil flows into North Korea with the tougher economic sanctions imposed on it earlier this year as punishment for conducting nuclear tests and missile launches.Charcoal-powered vehicles now stand in line and wait for passengers in front of the Aviation University near the Sunam and Pohang areas of Chongjin, capital of North Hamgyong province, a source from the province said.The vehicles, which are registered in the name of the business that owns them, do this to earn money, he said.“The charcoal-driven vehicles that run in Chongjin are the Seung-ri 58 (Victory 58) models that North Korea produced, and the Chinese Hae-Bang-Ho (Liberation) models,” the source said.Despite the slow speed of the smoke-belching vehicles, “many common residents use them because the fare is cheap,” he said.Read More At: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/charcoal-powered-vehicles-make-a-comeback-in-north-korea-12092016160533.html
