Traffic police in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, are increasingly extorting bribes from taxi and motorcycle drivers. Drivers report feeling distressed as officers demand payments even when no traffic laws have been violated.
In North Korea, traffic police are commonly found on bustling streets, where they regulate traffic by signaling to vehicles and assisting pedestrians with crossing. Additionally, they enforce traffic laws and take action against drivers who violate regulations to reduce the risk of accidents.
However, traffic police routinely abuse their authority by extracting bribes from drivers, including letting intoxicated drivers go free for payments. They also various pretexts to squeeze money from taxi drivers and motorcyclists to support themselves and bribe superiors. With officers now demanding increasingly larger sums, drivers report that their bribe payments often exceed their earnings.
“Traffic police used to ask taxi drivers for 200 or 300 yuan ($28-42) or about 10 kilograms of gasoline once or twice a month. Nowadays, they ask for 500 yuan ($70) two or three times a month,” a source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK. “Drivers end up paying over 1,000 Chinese yuan ($140) a month in bribes.”
Moreover, since most taxis are used cars imported from China, they often break down. If they break down, drivers must pay a lot to repair them, placing them deeper and deeper into debt.
According to the source, a taxi driver in their 40s in Hoeryong said that these days, “traffic police give you things to do — constantly changing their pretexts — and ask for 500 yuan ($70) like it’s nothing.”
He continued: “One time I got angry and fought with them, and in revenge, they got together and stopped me for 30 minutes everywhere I went and found fault with everything, as if there were a lot of rules that had been broken. It might be best to comply with their demands, but I’m considering taking some time off since my earnings aren’t sufficient to cover the fines they’re imposing.”
Individuals who make a living by transporting passengers to their destinations on motorcycles have also reported that they are increasingly being extorted for larger bribes by traffic police.
“Traffic police are being tasked with higher quotas nowadays ahead of the winter season. That’s why it feels they’re asking drivers for bigger bribes,” the source said.
“Drivers, whether they operate taxis or motorcycles, typically enjoy a higher standard of living than the average person. However, their financial stability can be compromised by decreasing earnings and accruing debts, often exacerbated by the excessive demands of traffic police, leading to unique challenges distinct from those faced by the general populace.”
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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