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Pyonghwa Motors (also spelled Pyeonghwa) is the sole car manufacturer and dealer in North Korea. It is a joint-venture in Nampo between Pyonghwa Motors of Seoul (South Korea) and the North Korean Ryonbong General Corp. The joint venture produces two small cars under licence from Fiat, and a pick-up truck and an SUV using complete knock down kits from Chinese manufacturer Dandong Shuguang.

Pyonghwa 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.

an advertising board of "Pyonghwa Motors" in Pyongyang

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 Pyonghwa, the Junma [1], which appears to be a rebadged version of the South Korean SsangYong Chairman [2]. 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 design, the W124 E-Class.

In the same year, Pyonghwa also reached an agreement with Chinese manufacturer Brilliance China Auto to assemble its Jinbei Haice vans, which are based on an old version of the Toyota Hiace [3][4]. In 2007, Pyonghwa introduced Brilliance's Junjie car under the name Hwiparam II. (The original Fiat-based Hwiparam still appears on Pyonghwa's website.) [5]

The Premio and Pronto are also sold in Vietnam by Mekong Auto [6], which is part-owned by companies connected to the Unification Church. [7] (Mekong Auto has sold Fiat cars in Vietnam since 1995, and this relationship may have led to Pyongwha assembling Fiats in North Korea.)

• 70% Pyonghwa Motors (Seoul) (owned by the Unification Church)
• 30% Ryonbong Corp.

• Hwiparam (휘파람 - Whistle) - based on the Fiat Siena
• Ppeokkugi (뻐꾸기 - Cuckoo) - based on the Fiat Doblò
• Premio (also known as Cuckoo 3) - based on a Dandong Shuguang pick-up
• Pronto (also known as Cuckoo 2) - based on a Dandong Shuguang SUV
• Junma - apparently based on the SsangYong Chairman
• Hwiparam II - based on the Brilliance Junjie

• 1999, April - founded by the Unification Church
• 2000, January - the joint-venture with Ryonbong is announced
• 2002, April - first production line in Nampo was completed and the first Hwiparam was produced
• 2004 - Premio and Pronto introduced

• List of Korea-related topics
• List of Korean car makers

(Korean) * Official website, in Korean

• Entry for Pyonghwa at Autoindex.org
• North Korean government commercial for foreign investment in Pyongwha motors, and with a link to a 10 minute video showing the Hwiparam
• South Korean newspaper article
• more recent South Korean newspaper article

(Spanish) * A Spanish article with a few photos