DEVELOPMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION IN NORTH KOREA 1946-59

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R01141A001500200002-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 29
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 29, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: December 1, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

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TONFIDENTIAL_
N? 80
ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
DEVELOPMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION
IN NORTH KOREA
1946-59
CIA/RR 59-49
December 1959
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
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WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
DEVELOPMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION IN NORTH KOREA
1946-59
CIA/RR 59 - 119
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
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FOREWORD
The adequacy of the transportation system of North Korea to support
industrial growth is of particular interest because North Korea has
launched a program of rapid industrial development similar to that of
Communist China. This report assesses the adequacy of modern trans-
portation in North Korea, incorporating new information that permits a
more accurate appraisal than previously has been possible.
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Summary
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CONTENTS
I. Introduction
II. Railroads
A. Performance
B. Operational Statistics
C. Investment
III. Motor Vehicles
IV. Inland and Coastal Water Transport
Appendixes
Appendix A. Statistical Tables
Page
1
2
3
3
5
8
9
11
Tables
1. Ton-Kilometer Performance of the Modern Transporta-
tion System of North Korea, 1946-58 14
2. Tons Originated by the Modern Transportation System
of North Korea, 1946-58 15
3. Passenger-Kilometer Performance of the Modern Trans-
portation System of North Korea, 1946-57 16
4. Number of Passengers Transported on the Modern Trans-
portation System of North Korea, 1946-57 17
5. Average Length of Haul, by Commodity, and Commodity
Composition of Tons Originated by the Railroads of
North Korea) Selected Years, 1949-57 18
6. Operational Statistics of the Railroads of North
Korea, 1946, 1949, and 1953-58 19
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North Korea: Transportation
Map
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Inside
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DEVELOPMENTS IN TRANSPORTATION IN NORTH KOREA*
1946-59
Surma ry
The modern transportation system** of North Korea has shown re-
markable growth since the Korean War. In 1958 the performance of
this system amounted to about 6.6 billion ton-kilometers (tkm), xxx
nearly double that in 1949, and tons originated increased even
more rapidly, rising from about 18.6 million in 1949 to about 47.5
million in 1958. The transportation system apparently has been
meeting the demands placed on it by the current program of indus-
trial expansion and can be expected to continue its growth during
the next few years. Past increases in performance have been due
mainly to improvements in the road and railroad networks and in
operating efficiency. Future increases probably will be due to
growth in inventories of equipment.
The railroads of North Korea, which were fairly well developed
during the Japanese occupation, have accounted for more than 94 per-
cent of total ton-kilometer performance of the modern transportation
system each year since 1946. Tons originated in motor truck trans-
port, however, increased from about 8 percent of the total in 1949
to 37 percent in 1958. This trend is expected to continue during
the next few years, and some development of inland and coastal water
transport also is expected. More than three times as many passen-
gers were carried by the transportation system in 1957 as in 1949,
but passenger-kilometers increased only about 25 percent, because
larger numbers were carried for short distances by motor bus.
The relatively high ton-kilometer performance of the railroads
of North Korea is accounted for partly by the comparatively great
average length of haul, which was half that of Communist China in
* The estimates and conclusions in this report represent the best
judgment of this Office as of 1 November 1959.
** As defined for the purposes of this report, the terms trans-
portation and transportation system refer exclusively to the modern
transportation system of North Korea. The types of transportation
included in this category are railroad, motor truck and bus, and in-
land and coastal water transport, excluding junks and other native
craft.
xxx Tonnages are given in metric tons throughout this report.
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1958. In addition, however, the operating efficiency of the railroads
has increased, the turnaround time of freight cars declining from
6.7 days in 1949 to 3.7 days in 1958. The daily running distance of
locomotives increased 20 percent during the same period. Performance
is likely to be increased further with the growth in inventories of
locomotives and rolling stock. Domestic production of freight cars
began in 1958, production of passenger cars and locomotives was planned
for 1959, and imports of railroad equipment and rolling stock are
likely to continue. Investment in transportation facilities received
priority during 1954-56, making possible the rapid reconstruction and
expansion of railroad facilities. The rate of investment since 1957,
however, may not be sufficient to sustain this rapid growth. Major
construction efforts are being concentrated on the electrification of
rail lines and the automation and mechanization of operations.
Since the Korean War, North Korea has expanded and improved its
road network, but hard surface roads still are limited to the areas
near the two largest cities. Trucks are being used as feeders for
other types of transportation. In addition to increases in inventory
from imports, performance has been increased by the use of trailers
pulled behind conventional trucks and by the use of trucks for more
than one shift per day. Series production of 2.5-ton trucks in North
Korea probably began in 1959.
Inland and coastal water transport was described by a North Ko-
rean official in 1958 as "backward." The 1957-61 plan, calling for
water transport to expand faster than other types of transportation,
apparently is being accomplished. Increases in performance already
made, however, do not change significantly the small share of total
performance attributed to water transport.
I. Introduction
The modern transportation system of North Korea has shown remark-
able growth since the Korean War. In 1949, the last year before the
Korean War began and the year often used by the North Korean govern-
ment as a base for postwar comparison, the transportation system per-
formed about 3.5 billion tion and originated 18.6 million tons, about
five times as much as in 1946. Performance in 1958 was about 6.6 bil-
lion tkm, nearly double that in 1949, and tons originated increased
even faster during the same period, reaching 47.5 million tons in 1958.
The performance of the transportation system of North Korea, after
regaining its prewar level in 1955, has continued to grow at an in-
creasing rate, achieving in 1956-58 an average annual increase of about
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18 percent in terms of ton-kilometers and 22 percent in terms of
tons originated. The ton-kilometer performance of the transportation
system of North Korea during 1946-58 is shown in Table 1,* and the
volume of freight originated during the same years is shown in
Table 2.** If the rate of increase announced for transportation for
the first half of 1959 1/xxx was maintained for the whole year (as it
was during 1958), the transportation system originated about 71 mil-
lion tons during 1959, about 30 percent above the original goal for
1961.
The transportation system of North Korea, according to the newly
released statistics, also carried about 139 million persons in 1957
for an average distance of 21.3 kilometers (km) and a total of nearly
3 billion passenger-kilometers. The number of passengers carried in
1957 was three times the 1949 level, but passenger-kilometers increased
only 25 percent. The increase in the number of passengers carried is
impressive in view of the estimated decrease in population from 9.1 mil-
lion in 1949 to 8.3 million in 1958. The passenger-kilometer perform-
ance of the transportation system of North Korea, by type of transpor-
tation, is shown in Table 3,**** and the number of passengers carried
is shown in Table 4.t
In 1958 the ton-kilometer performance of the transportation system
of North Korea was about equal to that of Bulgaria but was less than
that of any other country of the Sino-Soviet Bloc except Albania and
North Vietnam. Although the transportation system of North Korea is
poorly developed by Western standards, it has been given priority in
the economic reconstruction of the country since 1953 and has re-
ceived a fairly high percentage of total capital investment as well as
assistance in the form of labor and equipment from other Bloc countries.
II. Railroads
A. Performance
The railroad system, which was fairly well developed during the
Japanese occupation of Korea, is the predominant means of transportation
in North Korea. In each year since 1946 railroads accounted for more
than 94 percent of the ton-kilometer performance (see Table 1*) and more
than half of the tons originated (see Table 2**) by the transportation
system. In 1958, according to North Korean official announcements, the
performance of the railroads of the country was 6.3 billion tkm, an
14,
below.
*
Appendix A, p.
**
Appendix A, p.
15,
below.
xxx*
Appendix A, p.
16,
below.
t
Appendix A, p.
17,
below.
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increase of 85 percent above the 1949 level of 3.4 billion tkm. Since
1955, when railroad performance regained its 1949 level (in spite of
track conditions, which remained inferior to those in 1949), ton-
kilometer performance in each year has surpassed that in the preceding
year at an increasing rate -- 13 percent in 1956, 18 percent in 1957,
and 24 Percent in 1958. The 28.0 million tons originated by the rail-
roads in 1958 represented an increase of 72 percent above the 1949
level of 16.3 million tons. Tons originated also regained the 1949
level in 1955 and then increased by 9 percent in 1956, by 17 percent
in 1957, and by 31 percent in 1958. According to the mid-1959 report
of the North Korean Central Statistical Bureau, railroad freight traf-
fic in terms of both ton-kilometers and tons originated increased 41
percent in the first half of 1959 above the corresponding period in
1958. 2/ On the assumption that the increase during the whole of 1959
was about 40 percent, railroad freight traffic can be estimated to be
8.8 billion tkm and 39.2 million tons originated in that year. These
levels of achievement are within reason, considering improvements in
the railroad system and in operating efficiency, intensive use of rail-
road facilities, and apparent increases in rolling stock. Railroad per-
formance during 1958 in terms of both ton-kilometers and tons origi-
nated represented an increase of less than 70 percent above the 1955
level compared with an increase of about 100 percent in railroad per-
formance in Communist China during the same period. The 1959 estimates
for North Korea show increases comparable with the 37-percent increase
in tons originated planned in China.
The average length of haul of goods on the North Korean rail-
roads is comparatively great, accounting in part for the high ton-
kilometer performance. In 1958 the average length of haul, which had
Increased (except for the Korean War years) from about 200 km in 1946
to a high of 236 km in 1957, decreased to 224 km. Although the aver-
age length of haul, a little less than half that of Communist China,
seems long for a country as small as North Korea, the North Koreans
apparently do not plan to reduce it soon, for the goals of the origi-
nal 1961 plan would have resulted in an average haul of 228 km. V
The railroad network in North Korea is 12 percent as long as that of
Communist China, 3,720 km compared with 31,193 km at the end of 1958.
The average density of traffic on the North Korean railroads in 1958
was 1.7 million tkm per route-kilometer compared with nearly 6 million
tkm in Communist China.
Coal, with an average length of haul about equal to the aver-
age for all traffic, accounted for nearly 26 percent of the railroad
performance of North Korea in 1957 in terms of tons originated and
ton-kilometer. More than 95 percent of the coal imported and produced
in North Korea moved by rail. Metals are hauled farther on the aver-
age than any other commodity, timber is moved the next longest distance,
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and brick and tile are moved the shortest distance. Construction
materials hold second position in percent of total tons originated
and have been increasing in importance. The commodity composition
of railroad traffic in selected years and the average length of
haul, by commodity, in 1957 are shown in Table 5.*
The number of passengers carried by the railroads in 1957
increased only 17 percent and passenger-kilometers only 5 percent
in comparison with the 1949 level. Although the performance of rail-
roads continued at 80 percent of the total passenger-kilometers in
1957 compared with 95 percent in 1949, the railroads carried only 31
percent of the passengers compared with 82 percent in 1949. This
decline in the proportion of passenger traffic carried by rail prob-
ably was occasioned by the restriction of railroad travel to military
and official passengers, whereas motor bus transport has become more
available to the general public.
B. Operational Statistics
Improvement in railroad performance in North Korea before
1958, particularly in 1956 and 1957, is believed to have come mainly
from increased operating efficiency rather than from significant in-
creases in the inventory of rolling stock. Further improvements in
operating efficiency probably will come more slowly, but the inven-
tory of freight cars can be expected to increase rapidly from imports
and domestic production. North Korea is estimated to have had 300
standard-gauge steam locomotives in 1957. The inventory of electric
locomotives is not known, but 11 were in operation before the Korean
War, and it is assumed that the number has increased with the increase
in electrification of lines. Since the Korean War the railroad
system has been reequipped with imported locomotives from Communist
China, the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland. Most of those
that have remained in operation since 1949 were made in Japan. The
reliance on imports from a variety of sources and the difficult task
of reconstructing all major repair facilities in the system had left
the North Korean railroads with a severe problem in maintenance of
equipment. The program for reconstructing repair shops, however, re-
sulted in four major shops now operating with imported machine tools
and numerous other shops of varying sizes repairing locomotives and/
or cars. V The operating performance of the locomotive park in 1958
showed considerable improvement above the 1949 level: the daily run-
ning distance of locomotives increased 20 percent, from 208 km per
day to 249 km; the average technical speed** of the trains increased
* Appendix A, p. 18, below.
** Average speed during running time only, excluding stops.
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5.4 km per hour; and the average speed of the trains, inc1uding
stops, increased from 17.1 km per hour to 20.3 km per hour. Oper-
ating statistics for 1946, 1949, and 1953-58 are shown in Table 6.*
North Korea had an average of about 9,500 freight cars in
operation during 1958.** Although domestic production of freight
cars, which began during 1958, was reported by the North Korean
Central News Agency to be 540 freight cars, y some cars probably
were mining and industrial freight cars that did not represent
additions to the mainline freight car park. Production in 1959
may have reached 700 freight cars, xxx including some 60-ton cars.
In 1957 the commonly used 2-axle cars had rated capacities of 22,
26, and 30 tons; 2-axle or 4-axle cars with rated capacities of
30 or 40 tons were also in wide use; and cars with rated capacities
of 45 tons were used to a lesser extent. The North Korean Minister
of Transportation reported that 300 freight cars were converted
from the 30-ton class to between 37 tons and 40 tons during 1958,
and efforts were being made to convert all cars in 1959. // To al-
leviate the shortage of freight cars during and after the Korean
War, Chinese Communist rolling stock was used in North Korea and
probably will be used again in case of necessity. At present, how-
ever, the Chinese Communists, because of their own shortage of
transport capacity, undoubtedly are reluctant to let their equip-
ment be used extensively in North Korea.
Increasingly intensive use of the freight car park is in-
dicated by the decrease in turnaround timexxx* from 6.7 days in
1949 to 3.7 days in 1958.t Turnaround time in the first half of
1959 was reported in a broadcast by the North Korean Central News
Agency to have dropped to less than half the prewar level. f/
The Minister of Transportation urged the workers to reduce this
time further to 2.8 days in 1959 and 2.5 days in 1960. The aver-
age load per loaded car was stated to be 30 tons in 1958, and the
goal for 1959 was apparently 35 tons per car. Such a heavy load
* Appendix A, p. 19, below.
** The figure of 28,033,000 tons originated in 1958 divided by
365 days equals 76,803 tons originated per day. The number of
cars in operation (x) divided by turnaround time of 3.7 days equals
cars loaded per day. The figure of 76,803 tons originated per day
divided by the number of cars loaded per day V7) equals 30 tons
per car. 2/ Solving for x gives 9,472, the average number of cars
in operation.
xxx Production.of passenger cars and industrial locomotives was
also planned for 1959.
xxxx This term is believed to be turnaround time as defined in the
US.
See Table 6, Appendix A, p. 19, below.
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per loaded car probably is an indication that a number of large cars
have been added to the park and that each car is being loaded to
capacity. In the European Satellites, where freight cars are pre-
dominantly 2-axle cars, the average load per car ranged from 15 tons
to slightly more than 19 tons in 1958. Heavy loading in North Korea
can be explained partly by the fact that a large proportion of the
tons originated (at least 75 percent in 1957) are raw materials,
construction materials, and the like, which load to 100 percent or
more of rated capacity. In the European Satellites a larger share
of commodities hauled by rail are manufactured goods that do not
load so heavily.
For the 39.2 million tons estimated to have been originated
in 1959, with a 30-ton average load per loaded car and a turnaround
time of 3.7 days, about 13,250 cars would have been required. In-
creasing the load per car to 35 tons and reducing turnaround time to
2.8 days would reduce this requirement to only 8,590 cars, or less
than the present operating park. By reducing turnaround time to
2.8 days and continuing to load at an average of 30 tons per car, an
increase of 500 to 600 freight cars in the operating park would have
been necessary to attain the estimated performance figure for 1959.
It seems logical to assume that the estimated figure for tons origi-
nated has been achieved and possibly exceeded as a result of some
reduction in turnaround time, some increase in average load per
loaded car, and some increase in the freight car park, although not
to the extent planned for each.
Employment in transportation remained fairly steady from
1954 until 1958, when a 14-percent increase took place. Most of the
employees in transportation undoubtedly are working in rail trans-
port. The following tabulation shows the total number of persons
employed in transportation and the percent that these persons rep-
resent of the total number of workers and staff receiving wages in
the socialized sector, including state agriculture.
Number Employed in Transportation*
Year
Thousand Persons
As a Percent of
Total Workers and Staff
in the Socialized Sector
1953
49.4
8.6
1954
55.9
8.1
1955
58.0
7.6
1956
55.0
6.8
1957
54.5
6.5
1958
62.0
6.2
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These data do not include foreign railroad workers, technicians, and
engineers (reported to be in the hundreds during 1953-56) who were
employed in reconstruction and reorganization of the North Korean
railroads. Foreign engineers and technicians continue to be employed,
at least in the reconstruction of railroad factories and in making
technical improvements in the railroad system. 11/
C. Investment
Investment in all transportation facilities in North Korea
received priority in the reconstruction period, 1954-56, but the per-
centage allocated to this sector in more recent years may not be suf-
ficient to continue the rapid rate of growth and to meet the demand
of the present program for intensive industrial development beyond
the near future. Although the transportation performance can be ex-
pected to expand at a rate at least equal to that in other major
sectors of the economy for a few years, this rate of expansion prob-
ably will be achieved by intensive use of tranSportation facilities.
In 1954, investment in transportation and communications was
about 7 times the amount invested in 1949 and amounted to 21 percent
of total capital investment compared with 10.8 percent in 1949. 1.2./
As reconstruction progressed, the absolute amount invested each year
and the percent of total capital investment declined, so that this
sector received only 13.1 percent of the total in 1954-56. 1V The
original plan for 1957-61 allocated 10.1 percent of total capital
Investment to transportation and communications, ly but the 1959
plan called for about 12.5 percent, 12/ indicating either that the
original First Five Year Plan has been revised or that this sector
in the earlier years of the plan was to receive a higher percentage
than in later years.
In comparison with the allocation of capital investment in
Communist 'China, the proportion going to transportation and communi-
cations in North Korea is small. Communist China allocated 18.7
percent of total capital investment to this sector in 1953-57 and
21 percent in the original 1959 plan. 16/ The difference between
China and North Korea may lie in the relatively large amount of ex-
pansion of the transportation network being carried out in China in
the congestion experienced by the Chinese system in 1956 and 1958.
In North Korea the portion of investment in transportation
and communications going to railroads is not known, but the actual
amount invested by the state in rehabilitation of the railroads
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since the end of the Korean War has been 170 million new won,* ac-
cording to a report of the Korean Central New Agency early in
1959. 11/ In addition to direct investment, there have been labor
contributions by the North Korean populace (as there are in China),
by "volunteer" railroad construction workers from China and other
Sino-Soviet Bloc countries, and by the Chinese Army units stationed
in North Korea until the fall of 1958. The Central Committee of
the Korean Workers (Communist) Party, discussing the 1960 plan, cited
the development of rail transport along with the development of the
electric, iron and steel, and coal industries as being of "cardinal
importance" to the future development of the national economy.
The major construction efforts in North Korea are being con-
centrated on the electrification of rail lines, on the automation
of block and signal equipment, on the mechanization of loading and
unloading, on double tracking, and on the changeover from narrow to
standard gauge. The railroad system is oriented in a north-south
direction paralleling the coasts. At present, only one line, the
P'yongyang-Wonsan line, connects the east coast and west coast rail-
roads, but the North Korean press reported that a second line is
under construction south of the existing line (see the map**). The
rail lines are for the most part standard gauge (4 feet 8 1/2 inches).
The system has four international connections -- three in the north-
west with Communist China and one in the northeast with a line to
Vladivostok. Some bypasses of congested intersections have been
added since the Korean War, and a circumferential electric line around
the city of P'yongyang is under construction. Electrification of all
railroads is planned for-completion in 1967. Within 1 or 2 years the
224-km section between the capital city and Kowon probably will be
completed. A 129-km section from Kowon to Sinsongchion was completed
by the end of 1958. Ly
III. Motor Vehicles
Motor vehicle freight traffic in North Korea, according to of-
ficial statistics, has expanded far more rapidly than other modes of
freight transport, increasing in 1958 to a level nearly 6 times the
1949 performance in terms of ton-kilometers and 12 times in terms of
tons originated. The share of motor vehicles in the total ton-
kilometer performance of the modern transportation system of North
Korea, however, remained less than 4 percent (see Table lxxx). A
* The rate of exchange most commonly quoted is 1.2 won to US $1,
although this rate may not apply to capital investment goods.
** Inside back cover.
*** Appendix A, p. 14, below.
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decline in the average length of haul from 24 km in 1949 to about
12 km in 1958 probably reflects the increasing use of trucks as
feeders for other types of transportation. In terms of tons origi-
nated, motor vehicles performed 37 percent of the total in 1958 com-
pared with 8 percent in 1949 (see Table 2*). Indications are that
these trends continued in 1959. According to the mid-1959 report by
the Central Statistical Bureau, ton-kilometer performance by motor
vehicles increased 32 percent and tons originated increased 61 per-
cent in the first half of 1959 compared with the same period in
1958. 12/ On the assumption that increases of about 30 and 60 per-
cent, respectively, were achieved for the whole year, motor vehicle
performance during 1959 probably reached about 264 million tkm and
28 million tons originated. These estimates yield an average length
of haul in 1959 of only 9.4 km, indicating a continuing decline.
Data on passenger traffic by motor bus, released by the North Korean
government, show the same general trend as that in freight traffic by
motor vehicle. The performance of motor buses in terms of passenger-
kilometers increased to more than 560 million in 1957 (see Table 3**),
nearly 5 times the 1949 level, and the number of passengers increased
to 94 million, or more than 12 times the 1949 level. Each passenger
traveled an average of 6 km in 1957 compared with about 15 km in 1949.
The share of motor traffic in the total passenger-kilometer perform-
ance of the transportation system increased from 5 percent in 1949 to
19 percent in 1957, and the percentage of total passengers carried by
motor buses increased from 17 percent to 68 percent in the same period.
Data for passenger traffic during 1958 are not yet available. During
the first half of 1959 the number of passengers increased 44 percent
In comparison with the first half of 1958, according to the report of
the Central Statistical Bureau. .22/
These increases in freight and passenger traffic have been achieved
not only by increasing the inventory of vehicles but also by improving
operating efficiency and the condition of the road network, by using
trailers pulled behind conventional trucks, and by using trucks for
more than one shift per day. The utilization rate (amount of time in
operation with a full load) apparently has been low, however, for the
need to increase the rate during 1959 was emphasized. North Korea is
estimated to have had 11,000 vehicles in 1956, of which probably fewer
than 1,000 were buses and sedans, and the inventory has been increased
each year by imports.
The manufacture of trucks was begun in North Korea in 1958, al-
though only two trucks were produced: a Victory 58 with a capacity of
* Appendix A, p. 15, below.
** Appendix Al p. 16, below.
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2.5 tons (a copy of the Soviet GAZ-51 cargo truck, 4 x 2) and a Flying
Horse with a capacity of 8 tons. Premier Kim Il-song said that 3,000
Victory 58 trucks "should" be produced during 1959. .?.1/ Although
series production probably began in 1959, it is unlikely that as many
as 3,000 trucks were produced. The Flying Horse was produced in an
automobile repair factory in a manner similar to that in which repair
shops in Communist China produced trucks and locomotives during 1958.
(The Chinese Communist repair shops now assign the lowest priority to
the production of new trucks.) The continued production of 8-ton
trucks by repair shops in North Korea is most unlikely, in spite of
the announced plan to produce 2,500 in 1959.
After the Korean War the road network in North Korea underwent
extensive rehabilitation, including repairing, widening, and re-
surfacing roads and replacing temporary bridges with stronger and
more permanent structures. It is believed that, except for short
stretches of hard surface roads in the vicinities of P'yongyang and
Wonsan, most of the main roads are graveled. Soon after the Korean
War, primary emphasis was placed on the repair and construction of
roads in the forward areas near South Korea. At present the North
Korean road network is being expanded to support the industrial drive
and development of agriculture. The North Korean government reported
the length of trafficable roads in 1957 to be 19,631 km, 45 percent
longer than in 1949.
IV. Inland and Coastal Water Transport
During 1958, inland and coastal water transport in North Korea
accounted for about 1 percent of the total ton-kilometer performance
(see Table 1*) of the modern transportation system and a little more
than 4 percent of the tons originated (see Table 2**). During 1957
this type of transportation accounted for less than 1 percent of
passenger-kilometers and of the number of passengers carried, or about
the same proportion as in 1949. Freight traffic in terms of ton-
kilometers in 1958 increased 95 percent in comparison with the 1949
level, and tons originated increased 134 percent in the same period.
Inland and coastal water transport was described by a North Korean
official in 1958 as "backward." LV Plans for developing water
transport during the reconstruction period, 1954-56, were signifi-
cantly underfulfilled. The 1957-61 plan, calling for water transport
to expand faster than other types of transportation, apparently is
being accomplished. Both ton-kilometers and tons originated by water
transport increased in 1958 more than 80 percent compared with 1957,
and another 75-percent increase was reported for the first half of
* Appendix A, p. 14, below.
** Appendix A, p. 15, below.
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1959 compared with the first half of 1958. Even these increases,
however, will not change significantly the share of the total per-
formance by water transport. Although the average length of haul, by
1961, was expected to be about four times that in 1956, it increased
to only 35 km in 1958 compared with 31 km in 1956.
The reasons given for the increased attention to water transport
are as follows: to ease the burden on railroads, particularly along
the east coast to reduce dependence on imported equipment for
motor vehicle transport; and to reduce transportation costs in foreign
trade by shifting traffic from railroads to water transport. 27/ As
a first step toward increasing the relative importance of water trans-
port, rates were reduced 25 percent in 1957. Al/ During 1954-56, in-
land water transport received greater consideration than coastal water
transport, but in 1957-61 the emphasis is being reversed. Coastal
harbor facilities and shipyards are being expanded, and regular ship-
ping lines are planned. The most important port under recon-
struction is Nam-pto (formerly called Chinnampto), the port for
P'yongyang. Rehabilitation by the end of 1956 of some of the damage
sustained during World War II and the Korean War permitted the port to
be opened to local trade only. A 5-year development plan was started
in 1957 with the intention of raising Nam-1)10 to its former status as
one of the largest and best equipped ports in Korea. An attempt to
speed up the plan and open the port to international shipping during
1959 suggests that North Korea has a pressing need for expanding its
foreign trade.
The present size of the fleet is not known, but because fishing
boats are said to be used for transportation when not being used for
fishing, it is believed to be inadequate. The construction of medium-
size vessels was called for in the 1957-61 plan in a quantity suf-
ficient to increase the loading capacity of the fleet by 3.8 times. 39/
At present the fleet probably has no vessels as large as 1,000 gross
register tons, but a Bulgarian newspaper announced the launching in
July 1959 of a 3,200-ton ship built in Varna for North Korea. 31/
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APPENDIX A
STATISTICAL TABLES
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Table 1
Ton-Kilometer Performance of the Modern Transportation System
of North Korea 2/
1946-58
Year
Million Ton-Kilometers
Percent of Total
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway12/
Total
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway
1946
652
8.96
24.47
685
95.1
1.3
3.6
1947
1,491
21.14
26.26
1,538
96.9
1.4
1.7
1948
2,586
24.00
23.21
2,633
98.2
0.9
0.9
1949
3,405
34.63
35.13
3,475
98.0
1.0
1.0
1950
2,478
27.15
26.61
2,532
97.8
1.1
1.1
1951
697
6.41
3.11
707
98.7
0.9
0.4
1952
884
44.68
6.34
935
94.5
4.8
0.7
1953
1,980
64.14
10.71
2,055
96.4
3.1
0.5
1954
2,675
94.51
14.98
2,784
96.1
3.4
0.5
1955
3,792
137.67
23.07
3,953
95.9
3.5
0.6
1956
4,288
129.45
30.54
4,448
96.4
2.9
0.7
1957
5,072
188.78
37.37
5,298
95.7
3.6
0.7
1958
6,289 2/
203.32
68.57
6,561
95.8
3.1
1.1
a. L/. Excluding air ton-kilometers, for which only the following estimates are available (in mil-
lion ton-kilometers): 1953, 10.4; 1956, 17.9; and 1957, 26.6. These estimates indicate that air
transport is responsible for 0.5 percent or less of total ton-kilometers.
b. Converted from ton nautical miles at the rate of 1.853248 kilometers per nautical mile.
c. This figure is 124 percent of the 1957 performance. L/
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Table 2
Tons Originated by the Modern Transportation System
of North Korea
1946-58
Year
Thousand Metric Tons Originated
Percent of Total 12/
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway
Total
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway
1946
3,273
233
287
3,793
86.2
6.1
7.6
1947
8,276
637
331
9,244
89.5
6.9
3.6
1948
11,708
897
539
13,144
89.1
6.8
4.1
1949
16,255
1,461
846
18,562
87.5
7.9
4.6
1950
11,269
1,135
489
12,893
87.4
8.8
3.8
1951
4,142
133
93
4,368
94.8
3.0
2.1
1952
5,785
676
169
6,630
87.3
10.2
2.5
1953
10,625
2,234
332
13,191
80.6
16.9
2.5
1954
14,304
4,976
507
19,787
72.3
25.2
2.5
1955
16,756
8,812
806
26,374
63.5
33.4
3.1
1956
18,281
9,169
981
28,431
64.4
32.2
3.4
1957
21,455
13,891
1,095
36,441
58.9
38.1
3.0
1958
28,033
17,503
1,982
47,518
59.0
36.8
4.2
a. 12. Excluding tons originated by air, for which no estimates are available.
b. These figures were computed from unrounded absolute data and may not add to 100 percent.
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Table 3
Passenger-Kilometer Performance of the Modern Transportation System
of North Korea 2/
1946-57
Year
Million Passenger-Kilometers
Percent of Total b/
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway
Total
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway
1946
951
N.A.
N.A.
,
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1947
2,034
N.A.
3.18
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N. A-
1948
2,031
N.A.
4.94
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1949
2,253
116.83
7.43
2,377
94.8
4.9
0.3
1950
1,374
N.A.
5.75
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1951
83
N.A.
3.75
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1952
114
N.A.
3.89
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1953
656
29.05
3.04
688
95.3
4.2
0.4
1954
1,994
210.94
5.06
2,210
90.2
9.6
0.2
1955
2,264
357.35
10.78
2,632
86.0
13.6
0.4
1956
2,179
418.86
16.74
2,615
83.4
16.0
0.7
1957
2,374
562.44
24.47
2,961
80.2
19.0
0.8
a. Li. Excluding air passenger-kilometers, Which were 0.2 percent or less of the total in 1956-57.
b. These figures were computed from unrounded absolute data and may not add to 100 percent.
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Table 4
Number of Passengers Transported on the Modern Transportation System
of North Korea a/
1946-57
Year
Thousand Passengers
Percent of Total b/
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway
Total
Railroad
Highway
Inland and Coastal
Waterway
1946
22,123
N.A.
N.A-
N.A.
N.A.
N.A,
N.A-
1947
31,415
N.A.
316
N.A-
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1948
33,074
N.A.
359
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1949
37,339
7,646
694
45,679
81.8
16.7
1.5
1950
22,861
N.A.
627
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
1951
1,172
N.A.
416
N.A.
N.A-
N.A.
N.A.
1952
1,400
N.A.
76
N.A.
N.A.
N.A.
N.A-
1953
7,765
2,100
61
9,926
78.2
21.2
0.6
1954
22,838
29,875
186
52,899
43.2
56.4
0.4
1955
31,127
51,601
493
83,221
37.4
62.0
0.6
1956
36,853
64,759
882
102,494
36.0
63.2
0.9
1957
43,529
94,481
1,280
139,290
31.3
67.8
0.9
a. Li. Excluding air-passengers, for which no estimates are available.
b. These figures were computed from unrounded absolute data and may not add to 100 percent.
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Table 5
Average Length of Haul, by Commodity, and Commodity Composition
of Tons Originated by the Railroads of North Korea
Selected Years, 1949-57
Commodity
Average Length
of Haul 2/
(Kilometers)
Tons Originated 12/
(Thousand Metric Tons)
Percent of Total
Tons Originated 2/
1957
1949
1953
1956
1957
1949
1953
1956
1957
Coal
235.3
5,055
1,434
4,662
5,557
31.1
13.5
25.5
25.9
Construction materials
Timber
289.4
335.7
2/
2,422
1,512
1,126
1,318
3,272
1,974
4,141
2,167
14.9
9.3
10.6
12.4
17.9
10.8
19.3
10.1
Minerals
255.5
1,414
159
1,280
2,060
8.7
1.5
7.0
9.6
Ferrous and
nonferrous metals
372.9
406
521
859
1,072
2.5
4.9
4.7
5.0
Grain
240.7
1,008
808
750
858
6.2
7.6
4.1
4.0
Chemical fertilizer
316.8
423
42
256
343
2.6
0.4
1.4
1.6
Salt
288.5
179
223
219
215
1.1
2.1
1.2
1.0
Other
N. A.
3,836
4,994
5,009
5,042
23.6
47.0
27.4
23.5
Total
236.11.
16,255
10,625
18,281
21,455
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
b. Computed, using total tons originated given in Table 2, p. 15, above, and the percentages
given in this table.
c. For cement only. The average length of haul for brick and tile was 126 kilometers.
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Table 6
Operational Statistics of the Railroads
of North Korea 2/
1946, 1949, and 1953-58
Freight Car
Turnaround Time
Year (Days)
.12/
Average
Locomotive Average Technical 'Operations:I Average Tonnage
Running Distance Speed of Train 1/ Speed of Train IV of Freight Trains
Kilometers per Day) (Kilometers per Hour) (Kilometers per Hour) (Metric Tons)
1946
10.6
111 . 1
N. A.
N. A.
N. A.
1949
6.7
207.6
2 11. . 3
17.1
N. A.
1953
5.2
151.9
22.5
10.3
N.A.
1954
5.9
204.8
24.0
15.2
551
1955
5.3
228.5
25.3
16.6
629
1956
5.1
223.6
27.2
18.7
628
1957
4.4
244.0
29.7
20.3
659
1958
3.7
248.8
N. A.
N. A. .
712
a. 12
b. These figures are believed to be turnaround time as defined in the US.
c. Average speed during running time only, excluding stops.
d. Average speed, including stops.
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127 128 129 130
NORTH KOREA
TRANSPORTATION
ROADS
SUNGARI
RESERVOIR
Hua-tien
H un yung
Main surfaced road
Secondary surfaced road
T'ou-tao-kou
RAILROADS
-chi-
h
(Lung-ching-t un)
Sangsam
STANDARD GAUGE (4'81/2")
Double track, steam
Single track, steam
Single track, steam, under construction
Single track, steam, projected
1===== Single track, steam, to be electrified
Single track, electric
Ao cdo
Hoeryong
Vuson-
dong
Fu?sung
Komusan
NARROW GAUGE (2'6")
Single track, steam
PORTS
A Selected port
Lin-chia
?? International boundary ? National capital
Sus6ng
Nanam
On gsong
Statute Miles
0 25 50
Kilometers
Chas- g
\ Ch'an
Hujugobp
Huch'ang
Ponggang
ong
125 126
Hapsu
Sai?ma-chi
? Igue To gmu go, t
Kilchu
Ungigang-
chosuji
h'osan
'uan-tren
Ssangp o
dong
Kosong-ni
6ktong
SUP'UNG
RESERVOIR
RZTOir
Toandonggu
SONGJIN
,Koin-dong
Sakchu
ChanghOng-ni
Kuns6
AN-TUN
Huich'o
Pukch'Ong
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chosufr
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HAMHONG
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KYOM
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Suan I?
Sep'o-ri
Sinans g-
Chiha-ri
Marhwi-ri
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Sinch'0
Sariwon
SOhOng
Sin'gye
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Ich'on
P Ong g
tcri_ch'onjom
Sibyon-
ngsan
DEMARCATION
LINE
PAEl\IGNYoNO.DO
G?71.,48,00NclitAlli
Sinwon-ni
\ A
nts'Ch' won
KOmch'On
YOnch'6
Kuam-
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Yanggu
Yangyang
Kangniing
Clijongbu
SEOUL
(SOUL)
Yangp'y6ng
S UWeiN
Ich'On
\NO
Chech'on
YOngw61
Ansong
-chinin, chiarig
h6suji_?:_____--__ rv
cope, Point
do island '
-dong, -vi, mi.__ _
_.__-___-_ i_ village
-gang ,
river
01 point
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undo
Chiphingo
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namdo
so province
pukto______ h
'ungju
Tanyang
provinbe
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stand group
YOngiu
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CH'ONGJU
Hon;s6ng
och'iwOn
Ha mch'an
An don
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Pounclones and name t en Oat on
those recognized by the U5. Gat,
125 126 127 128 129 130
28331 12-59
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