On top of developing nuclear weapons, getting into showdowns with the USA, trying to popularise terrible haircuts, and starving half its own citizens, it seems North Korea also stole 1000 Volvos from Sweden back in the 1970s.
Originally sent over to be used as taxis, the 1973 Volvo 144 sedans were never paid for meaning, today, the DRNK’s debt for the cars runs to approximately $322 million (USD) when you include interest and penalties.
How did North Korea get their hands on one thousand boxy Scandinavian sedans? It was part of the growing trade the Northern European nation had entered into with the communist state in the mid-1970s.
Unfortunately, the North Korean economy took a turn for the worse by the late ‘70s, scuppering hopes of the Swedes to ever see a dollar for them. This is especially true given that North Korea has also racked up over $150,000 (USD) in parking tickets in New York City since the 1990s, and shows no intention of paying them, ever.
Iain Kelly is the car nut behind The Creators Online.
What other cars do you think North Korea have stolen? Let us know in the comments.
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Iain Kelly
Contributing Journalist
A love of classic American and European cars drove Iain Kelly to motoring journalism straight out of high school, via the ownership of a tired 1975 HJ Holden Monaro.
For nearly 20 years he has worked on magazines and websites catering to modified late model high-performance Japanese and European tuner cars, as well as traditional hot rods, muscle cars and street machines. Some of these titles include Auto Salon, LSX Tuner, MOTOR, Forged, Freestyle Rides, Roadkill, SPEED, and Street Machine. He counts his trip to the USA to help build Mighty Car Mods’ “Subarute” along with co-authoring their recent book, The Cars of Mighty Car Mods, among his career highlights.
Iain lends his expertise to CarsGuide for a variety of advice projects, along with legitimising his automotive obsession with regular OverSteer contributions.
Although his practical skills working on cars is nearly all self-taught, he still loves nothing more than spending quality time in the shed working on his project car, a 1964 Pontiac. He also admits to also having an addiction to E30 BMWs and Subaru Liberty RS Turbos, both of which he has had multiple examples of. With car choices like that, at least his mum thinks he is cool.
About Author
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