While North Korea attracted attention with its industrialization moves in the 1970s, the Sweden incident; not only a diplomatic inconvenience, but also One of the most interesting car thefts in history happened.

When the powerful Swedish car brand approached North Korea, no one knew how this deal would go. How did the car shipping agreement come about? to a scandalous theft was it transformed?

Sweden sent 1000 Volvo 144s to North Korea.

The 1970s were a time when North Korea had a booming industrial economy and received aid from other countries. Sweden began to see Korea as a lucrative market. Volvo, ASEA, Kockums, Atlas Copco and Alfa Laval Swedish companies such as; He wanted to export his products to the country and organized an industrial fair in the city of Pyongyang.

In 1974 the Swedish government; Considered at the time one of the safest and most powerful cars in the world, for use as a taxi. Shipping 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans and more than $70 million worth of heavy machinery has concluded an agreement with North Korea for this purpose

North Korea never paid for all of these vehicles.

North Korea has not paid this bill even today. According to the Swedish Export Credit Agency, the interest and unpaid fines on these cars are even to $322 million reaches. Sweden still sends invoices to North Korea twice a year, but in vain.

This unpaid bill became such that it created tension in the diplomatic and economic relations between Sweden and North Korea. incident “the biggest car theft in history” It became established as such and car manufacturers never dared to send cars to North Korea again.

How are these old cars protected?

There is still a mystery about how the North Koreans preserved their old Volvo 144 cars. Cars in general for taxi purposes is used, and theories include the possibility that the agreement with Sweden includes a provision for large quantities of spare parts.

Other theories are that spare parts was smuggled into the country or that North Korea remanufactures car parts with its own small counterfeiting industry. Regardless, this incident is still remembered today as the “largest car theft ever”.

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