N. Korea Ordered 300 Volkswagen Cars, Including a Luxury Sedan

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 01/28/05 | Kim Jong-ho

[TigerLikesRooster]

/begin my translation

 

N. Korea Ordered 300 Volkswagen Cars, Including a Luxury Sedan

 

by Kim Jong-ho

Recently, N. Korea purchased about 300 passenger cars from Volkswagen, including top-class luxury model Phaeton, and mid-size model Passat in Europe.

A source from Volkswagen Korea said on (Jan.) 28th, "We heard from an executive from the headquarter who visited here recently that N. Koreans came to Volkswagen headquarter in Germany, and placed orders for 300 Passats, mid-size car, and 5 Phaetons, a top-class luxury sedan."

N. Koreans first placed orders for 300 Passats (engine displacement: 1,800~2,000 cc(cubic centimeter)), airlifted one Phaeton with 6-cylinder engine(engine displacement 6,000cc) to Pyongyang, and placed orders for 4 more Phaetons, according to the company.

In particular, N. Koreans requested special bulletproof upgrade for one Phaeton sedan, but Volkswagen declined it because it may create some maintenance problems later. 

According to Volkswagen Korea,  the request for bulletproof treatment suggests that Phaetons  are earmarked for Kim Jong-il, while Passats are for mid-level officials.

/end my translation

[TigerLikesRooster]

His people are starving in large numbers, but Kim Jong-il still wallow in opulence.

[TigerLikesRooster]

An old news I failed to post back in January.
I am finally posting it, ping!

[JAWs]

And the center lane of all the streets of Pyongyang are reserved fro the Party cars. Come the revolution, those will be tuned into grass filled medians and the psychotic shrimp will be fertilizing one of them.

[martin_fierro]

Crappy taste in clothes.

Crappy taste in dinner companions.

Crappy taste in cars.

[Malsua]

6000CC?

As in 6 Litres?

As in 400CID? Cubic Inch Displacement

Most 8 Cylinders these days aren't that big.

That's a pretty big 6 Cylinder air pump.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Hey, volkswagen is literally the "People's" car - what better car for the People's republic of NK?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #4

LoL. You have a winner!

[B Knotts]

I think the engine in question is actually a W12. "W" is an engine configuration that I think is unique to Volkswagen. It's like two V6 engines stuck together sideways.

The Phaeton is a nice car, but I'd go with the 5.0 V10 TDI.

[claudiustg]

Get cash up front!

[Drammach]

Had you seen the latest concerning Kim Jong Chang ( I think that is his name ) being "presented" to the public as "The Commander" ???

Seems he is being groomed for presentation to the public as the heir apparent..
He is a basketball "nut", (NBA fan) and his daddy has built BB-ball courts for him at all of his villas..

Apparently older brother is definitely out of the running, as had been surmised for quite some time..
Also I read that a brother or brother-in-law of Kim Jong Il that was in high position of power has been "demoted", so to speak..

I think I read it on Drudge..

[Fry_Daddy]

Poor soul. To me he rooks ronery. Really, really ronery.

[pepsionice]

Yep, the 22-year old son is now the odd's on favorite...and he has a interesting educational background...apparently went to France in his youth. So this kid might turn out a bit different.

[gogogodzilla]

Heh, heh, heh. That's a good one.

'People's car' for the People's Republic.

I like that.

:-)

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #10

Yes. Some report says that Kim Jong-chol would be presented on Oct. 10, the founding day for N. Korean Worker's Party.

All the side-branches from his brother-in-law's faction had been chopped off. According to reports, anybody who even had a single lunch with him in public was purged. That is rather a wide net. A brutal turn of fate for many officials who did not know him closely and thought that they were attending a innocent social gathering with him.